It says something about how angry farmers are when they are going on a "general strike," a term unfamiliar to them, right at a busy time of year in the agricultural calendar. They are opposing ratification of the rice agreement by the National Assembly, saying the government negotiated part of it in secret and that it has no intention of defending Korean agriculture. The government says it did its best given the disadvantageous circumstances and that no secret agreements were made. That defense is not working, however, because farmers' distrust of the government is so strong. In the course of various negotiations about opening markets, the government has sacrificed the interests of agriculture whenever they have conflicted with other interests. It lost confidence this time around as well, when parts of what was agreed were late in becoming known to the public. The government needs to work in good faith to restore trust.
Another reason farmers are enraged is because of the sense they have been relatively deprived. You can guess how farmers buried in debt feel when they see the speculative land investment craze going on largely in the greater capital region. If the government wants to resolve that discontent it will have to pursue measures that give those in agriculture reason for hope. At the beginning of last year it announced plans to implement a budget of W199 trillion over ten years for farming and farm regions, but those plans are criticized for lacking substance. Many farmers are opposed to revising the "farmland law," saying it will only fill the stomachs of speculative investors.
If policy is to be believed it has to contain a firm determination not to give up on agriculture and farm regions. One way to do that would be to quickly legislate long-term goals for self-sufficiency in food. The government must also not forget to reflect farmers' voices in those policies.
The Hankyoreh, 22 June 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
