Lee Kyung Hae (1947 – September 10, 2003) was a South Korean farmer and

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

who opposed

neo-liberal Neoliberalism (also neo-liberalism) is a term used to signify the late 20th century political reappearance of 19th-century ideas associated with free-market capitalism after it fell into decline following the Second World War. A prominent fa ...

globalization Globalization, or globalisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. The term ''globalization'' first appeared in the early 20t ...

and protested for the local farmers and fishermen of his home country whose jobs were threatened. He was president of the Federation of Farmers and Fishermen of Korea. He died by suicide at the 2003

WTO The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...

conference in Cancún, Mexico.

Early life

Lee Kyung Hae was born in

Jangsu Jangsu County (''Jangsu-gun'') is a county in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is well known for Jangsu-Galbi. Climate Twin towns – sister cities Jangsu is twinned with: * Anyang, South Korea (1996) * Hapcheon, South Korea (1999) ...

Jeollabuk-do North Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollabuk-do''), also known as Jeonbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Jeolla has a population of 1,869,711 (2015) and has a geographic area of 8,067 km2 (3,115 sq mi) located in the Honam region in the southwest ...

, in what was then a united Korea. He graduated from Seoul Agricultural College in 1974 and pursued farming as a career, even though farming was not seen at that time as a logical career for college graduates. He established a dairy farm on what had been a deserted wasteland, and developed it to a capacity of seventy cows. He also developed vegetable farms and opened all of his farms to agricultural students seeking real-life experience. It was during that time that Lee married Kim Baek-i, a journalist for the local ''Mountains'' magazine.

Activism

In 1979, he was elected president of the Jangsu Livestock Breeders Association. Throughout the 1980s he worked to improve the situation of farmers nationwide, and as a result of his efforts he was elected to many prominent agricultural positions. He became president of the Jangsu Young Farmers Association in 1983 and the larger Jeonbuk Young Farmers Association in 1987. In response to falling crop prices, he participated in the establishment of the Korean Young Farmers Association. His actions gained the attention of the FAO (The Food and Agricultural Organization) of the UN, and in 1989 Lee was given the award for ‘Farmer of the Year’. In 1989, he was elected president of the Korean Advanced Farmers Federation, and held this position until 1991. In 1990, he started the social activist magazine Korean Young Farmers’ Weekly News. In the 1990s, Lee adopted more visible methods in his battle for the Korean farmer. He became a member of the provincial legislature when he was elected three times to serve in the Jeonbuk Provincial Assembly. When the South Korean government attempted to stop the second Nationwide Meeting of the Korean Young Farmers Association, Lee led a hunger strike in protest. Hunger strikes continued to be a common tactic for Lee in his struggle against the

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...

. According to him, the WTO's trade policies destroyed South Korean farmers, reducing them to poverty or worse. In 1993, he attempted

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

at the WTO's

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, offices, but was hospitalized and recovered. Lee led a hunger strike in 1994, when the WTO put pressure on South Korea to open its markets to foreign agricultural products. He remained for seventeen days outside the National Assembly Building, in an effort to persuade parliament to pass a law against the WTO. In December 2000, Lee Kyung-hae went on another hunger strike for twenty-six days. In February and March 2003, Lee led a

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...

at WTO headquarters in Geneva, but his actions were ignored by the WTO and by mainstream media. However, Lee's hunger strike and his continued statements concerning the effect of rapidly dropping crop prices on Korean farmers were reported in many local newspapers. In Cancun, Lee joined a march of over 15,000 other farmers and indigenous people from around the world and carried a sandwich board that stated, "WTO Kills Farmers."

Death

On September 10, 2003, Lee stood on top of a police barricade at a major protest demonstration near the WTO conference in

Cancún Cancún ( ), often Cancun in English (without the accent; or ) is a city in southeast Mexico on the northeast coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. It is a significant tourist destination in Mexico and the seat ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, and in front of media

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

cameras he stabbed himself. Although he was rushed to a local hospital, he died during surgery. The cause of death was officially ruled as a

. Lee is sometimes seen as a

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

to the

anti-globalization movement The anti-globalization movement or counter-globalization movement, is a social movement critical of economic globalization. The movement is also commonly referred to as the global justice movement, alter-globalization movement, anti-globalis ...

. His death is seen by opponents of neo-liberal globalization as an example of the destructive effects of free trade on the lives of workers.

Legacy

Apart from different memorial ceremonies, a candlelight vigil was organised for September 10, 2005, in Hong Kong to commemorate the victims of the WTO, especially Lee Kyung Hae.

Anti-Flag Anti-Flag is an American punk rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The band is known for its left-wing political activism. Their current members include Justin Sane (vocals, guitar), Chris Head (guitar), Pat Thetic (drums), and Chris Ba ...

dedicated their song, "The WTO Kills Farmers" to Lee Kyung Hae, as well as

Percy Schmeiser Percy Schmeiser (5 January 193113 October 2020) was a Canadian businessman, farmer, and politician. In 1954, he took over the operations of the family owned farm, gas station, and farm equipment dealership. He renamed the farm equipment dealersh ...

and other farmers hurt by the WTO's policies.

Ahleuchatistas Ahleuchatistas are an American instrumental math rock duo that mix influences of jazz, progressive rock, avant-garde, and experimental to create a unique sound. The band was formed in Asheville, North Carolina in November 2002. Ahleuchatistas' ...

has a song named "Lee Kyung Hae" in dedication to his activism.

References

External links