[Nettime-bold] Sth Korean Labor Media Online

[andrew garton <agarton@toysatellite.org>]

Sth Korean Labor News Production

>From a report on the 3rd Seoul International Labor Media Conference by Andrew Garton

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The web has truly become a public
access media in Seoul. The labor movement, frustrated by the inability
to have their issues aired via mainstream media, have committed
themselves to a dynamic web cast strategy. It's not only reaching
members it's irritating the authorities as well.

Labor News Production
http://www.lnp89.org/english/

On April 10 2001, a court-approved march by Daewoo workers was violently suppressed by the police. Captured on video, the full-scale brutality of the authorities was unleashed online and viewed by thousands the world over.

>From an article published by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU): "The KCTU produced 1,000 copies of the video to distribute to the civil society organisations and member unions. The KCTU web page where a digital video file of the carnage is can be seen was flood with concerned citizens. For three days, from April 11 to 13, the KCTU web page recorded a total of some 3 million clicks, with the highest on April 13 with more than one and a half million visitors. This caused, at different times, technical difficulties in accessing the KCTU web page." 

Article detailing incident
http://www.kctu.org/action%20alert/daewoo-blood.htm

The police countered this use of the web by producing their own video, their own version of events and streaming it from their web site. Apparently, it looked like it had been shot outside a police station with plain-clothes officers smashing the windows of a parked car.

With so many horrific injuries sustained by Daewoo workers, the documentation proof, the police video recognised as a sham, in an unprecedented move the case brought against the protestors was quietly exited from court. However, as of the time of writing those responsible for the violence have yet to be brought to justice. Forty injuries, twenty-one arrests and the Union lawyer, Pak Hun, hospitalised with a fractured pelvis.

Stills from video of violence against Daewoo workers
http://www.nodong.org/images/daewoo/thumbs/st010410.htm

You won't find men behind the cameras of Labor News Production. Established in 1989 with over 50 feature length videos on the labor movements of Korea, the production unit is now mostly comprised of women. They're able to get closer to the action than men, so much so that they are almost unseen - the camera moves in amidst the batons and fists, capturing drops of blood on the lens and the tenacity of protestors who protect them selves from shielded police with fierce determination alone. Many, of not all the male workers have done three years of military service, taught to deal with and survive intolerable conditions, their training now in full tilt to right the wrongs of their employers and the government that protects them.

Of the streaming media available, the most diverse comes from the pages of Jinbonet. On their webcast pages you'll find material cross-referenced from other content producers and categorised according to style and/or issue.

The first thing you'll notice is that ALL their material is produced for a broadband audience. There are no 28.8 or 56 Kbs options here. 50% of Koreans are online and the cost of broadband (either cable or DSL) is cheap. Hence, 320 x 240 video clips mostly streamed using a RealMedia G2 server. Curiously, multi-bandwidth (Surestream�) features of the G2 server aren't being used. Either they are only targeting a local, high bandwidth user base, or these features are not fully understood. Either way, the content is exceptional and varied. 

An assessment of the web site and web cast usage assisted the producers in determining viewable durations of streaming media. Videos are generally edited down to five minute, high-energy clips. The same goes for streaming "slide-shows". An excellent series of workers profiles on cast.jinbonet are delivered using the latter format.

http://cast.jinbo.net/

The streaming servers in use by Labor Media Production and Jinbonet are funded by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions.

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