Echo of April 19

Echo of April 19

56 years ago, south Korean people took to the streets to put an end to the foreign force’s colonial domination over south Korea and rule of the fascist dictatorial regime in April 1960.

The April 19 popular uprising was an outbreak of the south Korean people against the outsider’s and its stooge’s colonial fascist rule.

Syngman Rhee, who had retained power backed by the Uncle Sam and on the strength of fascist rule of police, laid bare his ambition of long-term presidency through fraudulent March 15 election in spring of 1960.

Enraged at this, broad spectrum of people launched anti-government action.

Bewildered by the massive resistance, the Syngman Rhee group placed south Korea under martial law to harshly suppress the people.

The uprisers overthrown the Rhee regime at last, putting forward slogans “Get out of south Korea, Syngman Rhee!”, “Down with the police regime!” and “Stop intervention, US!”

The downfall of the Syngman Rhee clique was a great victory of the south Korean people in the action for national reunification, against fascism and a historic event that shook the US colonial domination over south Korea to its very foundation.

The April 19 Popular Uprising demonstrated the resolute will of the south Korean people not to tolerate outsiders’ colonial domination and the quislings’ fascist dictatorial rule. It also showed that if the south Koreans wage a dynamic struggle, defying death, they can surely defeat any ferocious dictatorial force.

The desire of the uprisers has not yet been realized though half a century has passed since the uprising. This is entirely attributable to the US invariable strategy to dominate Korea and the treacherous policy of the south Korean rulers who have kowtowed to it.

Now the Park Geun-hye regime has stamped out the people’s right to live and reduced south Korean into a desert of human rights through the dictatorial rule and unpopular policy, trampling down the people’s desire of a new politics and life.

The intelligence politics, politics of terror of the bloody "yusin" dictatorship is being revived in south Korea. The political parties, groups and mass media with anti-government leanings have been dismantled.

Due to the south Korean authorities’ heated confrontational moves, inter-Korean relations have come to rupture.

The current political situation in south Korea is suggestive of the eve of the April 19 popular uprising when the flames of democracy against dictatorship flared up.

Now the south Korean people are full of determination to terminate treacherous rule of the dictatorial regime in the spirit of the second April 19 popular uprising and open up a broad avenue for independence, democracy and reunification.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and people of various circles turn out in the nationwide drive against the south Korean government, sharply criticizing the Park regime that made south Korea into a hellish one and plunged inter-Korean relationship into a deadlock.

The Park regime estranged from the people would meet self-destruction.