FKTU forms political party

Korea Herald, 4 November 2002

The Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), an umbrella labor union, created yesterday a political party named the Democratic Socialist Party (DSP), ahead of the Dec. 19 presidential election. xo

At an indoor rally which attracted 500 party members, the DSP selected Lee Nam-soon, head of the FKTU, their first party chairman.

Let’s begin an era of laborers and the common people, breaking the wall of ‘old-fashioned’ politics that has given us only frustration, Lee said in his acceptance speech.

Lee also said he would ally with the existing progressive parties such as the Democratic Labor Party and Socialist Party of Korea to field a single candidate for the December election.