On this day, 9 August 1979, the women workers of the YH wig making company in Seoul, South Korea, occupied the headquarters of the opposition New Democratic Party in protest at the closure of their employer. The workers had gone on strike against the proposed closure, but to no avail, so they attempted to escalate their protest. However, the US-backed military dictatorship instead sent 2,000 riot police to attack the 187 women and evict the occupation. One woman, Kim Kyung Sook, was killed by police, while the union leaders were arrested and the other workers sent home by bus. While unsuccessful, the violent repression of the workers provoked mass anger, which was a major contributing factor to uprisings breaking out in Busan and Masan later that year.
Learn more about South Korean women workers’ struggles at this time in our podcast episode 51: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e51-jeon-tae-il-and-lee-so-sunhttps://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/2053327181519088/?type=3
