“Rest in Peace, We Will Achieve Your Wishes” Funeral for Yang Hoi-dong

On June 21, the funeral procession for Yang Hoi-dong (50), an executive of the Korean Construction Workers’ Union--an affiliate of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions--who died after setting himself on fire last month, passes Sinmun-no in Jongno-gu, Seoul towards the National Police Agency, the venue for a funeral rite. June 21, 2023 / Su Sung-il, Senior Reporter

On a drizzly Wednesday, June 21, a funeral for the late Yang Hoi-dong, an executive of the Korean Construction Workers’ Union affiliated to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, was held as a funeral for labor, civil and social activists. The ceremony took place fifty days after Yang lit himself on fire protesting an investigation that accused him of engaging in illegal activities. According to the organizer’s estimate, over five thousand workers and citizens attended the funeral and saw him off on his final journey. Participants said, “The funeral is not the end, but only the beginning,” and suggested that they all fight together to achieve the wishes of the late Yang.

At 8 a.m. Wednesday, Yang’s funeral procession departed from the funeral hall at Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Yang’s son held his portrait, while Yang’s wife cried in front of the coffin. After the departure of the funeral procession, the guests marched toward the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu. Members of the Korean Construction Workers’ Union followed, holding flags in the shape of black ribbons with the words, “Bring Yang Hoi-dong back to life” and “Stop oppressing the Construction Workers’ Union.”

In a rite held in front of the National Police Agency, Kim Jeong-bae, head of the Gangwon branch of the Construction Workers’ Union said, “When my colleague, Yang, told me to take good care of the workers, I did not understand the hidden meaning. I had no idea that our handshake on the morning of May Day would be our last.” He continued and said, “We will engrave in our hearts a memory of you skipping meals to ensure the livelihoods of our members.” He further said, “The police, which accused Yang of blackmail, brazenly tore down the memorial space to remember him. Just as the martyr pleaded by sacrificing his life, tearing down the Yoon Suk-yeol dictatorship is the way for workers to survive.”

The funeral ceremony was held on Sejong-daero in Jung-gu at 1 p.m. Participants wore raincoats and remembered the final moments of Yang. After a moment of silence holding chrysanthemums, they shouted slogans, “It’s the martyr’s wish. Let’s crush labor oppression!” and “Let’s defend democratic labor unions!”

Yang’s older brother, Yang Hoi-seon stepped onto the podium and said, “My brother who is no longer in this world is still suffering. When Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong said there were suspicions about my brother’s death, it tore the hearts of our family like the moment we first heard of his death.” He asked, “Are we citizens if we listen to the words of the government? If we have a different opinion, then must our deaths be ignored?” He continued and said, “Today’s funeral is not the end, but only the beginning,” and pledged efforts to restore the honor of his late brother by recalling his death and suffering no matter what challenge and hardships may come.

The letters that Yang’s twin children wrote to their father were also disclosed. Yang’s teenage daughter wrote, “I always thought I could fulfill my filial duties when I grew up, but I regret that I was not much of a good daughter to Dad,” and added, “I didn’t always express it, but I wish he will know that I love him very much.” Yang’s son wrote, “No one in our family loved and cherished our family like Dad. I regret and am sorry for being so indifferent in the past.” He continued and wrote, “Now, I must fill his empty space. It will be hard to do it perfectly, but I will try.”

Participants said they would respect the wishes of Yang to “create a world where workers are the owners” and continue the struggle against the government.

Yang Kyung-soo, leader of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions said, “Yang wanted to change a worksite where people were repeatedly employed and unemployed, where several people died every day, into a site where people could live decently. But the Yoon Suk-yeol government trampled his pride.” He further said, “The police, which hunted for a special promotion that followed the suppression of the construction workers’ union, is now hunting again promising a special promotion in exchange for the freedom of assembly and association.” He argued, “If we cannot defend a democratic labor union, we cannot defend democracy in this society. Let us prove that Yoon Suk-yeol was wrong and that Yang Hoi-dong was right.”

Jang Ok-ki, head of the Korean Construction Workers’ Union said, “We are here to remember the sacrifice of a labor activist who believed that construction workers, always treated with contempt, could lead a decent life. The Construction Workers’ Union will lead the battle to create the world that the martyr desired.”

Park Seok-wun, representative of Jinbo Corea said, “If the Yoon Suk-yeol government succeeds in oppressing the Construction Workers’ Union, competition to slash labor costs under an illegal multi-level subcontracting system will be rampant in construction sites,” and suggested that citizens gather their strength to stop a return to an outdated and desperate worksite ridden with unstable employment, exploitation by the middlemen, and wage arrears.

Politicians including the leaders of the four opposition parties also attended the funeral. Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung gave a funeral oration and said, “Over the past year, the reality of labor has suffered an endless regression. Countless workers had their jobs taken away and were accused of engaging in illegal activities at construction sites.” He asked, “Does the ‘our citizens’ that the government talks about not include workers and labor unions?” Yong Hye-in, senior representative of the Basic Income Party said, “Today’s funeral is a time for us to send away one who must rest, but also to resolve to never forget his wishes and to begin a struggle to stop the reckless oppression of labor by the Yoon Suk-yeol government.”

After delivering their speeches, they offered flowers before Yang’s portrait. Yang will be buried in Moran Park in Namyangju, Gyeonggi, where a number of pro-democracy and labor activists are buried.