An Analysis of the Are You All Right Movement Part 1 The Translation
This is the first part of my analysis of Korea�s latest social movement, the �Are You All Right?� (AYAR) Movement.
The first installment of this analysis will simply be a translation of the letter that started it all � the hand-written letter that was posted by Ju Hyun-u, a 27-year old Korea University student a little less than two weeks ago.
I found the letter on the AYAR Movement�s Facebook page and have attempted to translate the letter to the best of my abilities. Any error in the translation is strictly mine and mine alone.
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??? ?????
Hello. How are you?
1. ?? ?? ???? ???? ?? ?? ???? ???? ?????. ?? ??? ?? ?? ???? ??? ????? 4,213?? ????? ????. ??? ??? ??? ??? ?? ??? ???? ???? ? ???? ????? ??? ????. ?? ??? ??? ??? ?? ?? ?? ????? �???�?? �???�? ???? ??????.
1. ?? ?? ???? ???? ?? ?? ???? ???? ?????. ?? ??? ?? ?? ???? ??? ????? 4,213?? ????? ????. ??? ??? ??? ??? ?? ??? ???? ???? ? ???? ????? ??? ????. ?? ??? ??? ??? ?? ?? ?? ????? �???�?? �???�? ???? ??????.
1. Yesterday, after striking for one day, thousands of workers lost their jobs. For no other reason than to oppose the privatization of the rail roads, 4,213 people were relieved from their positions. President Park Geun-hye punished the workers who protested against the privatization of the railroads, something which she herself promised that she would not engage in without first obtaining the people�s permission. It is possible that even the right to strike, which is part of the country�s �Labor Laws,� that were enacted after the self-immolation of Jeon Tae-il could also disappear.
??? ??? ??? ??? ?? ???? ??????. ??? ??? ??????, ????? ?????? ??? ????, ???? ?????? ?? ??? ????? �????�? ? ? ?? ? ?? ??? ???? ??? ?? 21??? ??? ?????.
??? ??? ??? ??? ?? ???? ??????. ??? ??? ??????, ????? ?????? ??? ????, ???? ?????? ?? ??? ????? �????�? ? ? ?? ? ?? ??? ???? ??? ?? 21??? ??? ?????.
That is because any protest against the government or against capital is going to be designated as being illegal. Despite the numerous times we have been told about the fraud in last year�s presidential election and the fact that there had been illegal interference in the election by government officials, a member of the National Assembly who has the right to vote to impeach the president was expelled from the National Assembly for daring to suggest resignation. It is difficult to imagine that we are living in the 21stcentury.
?? ???? ?? ???? ??? ??? ????? ??, ??? ???? �??�? ??? ?? ??????? ???? ??? ??? ????, ??? ???? ???? ????? ?? ?? ????? ??? ???? ??? ?? ??? ????? ??????!
?? ???? ?? ???? ??? ??? ????? ??, ??? ???? �??�? ??? ?? ??????? ???? ??? ??? ????, ??? ???? ???? ????? ?? ?? ????? ??? ???? ??? ?? ??? ????? ??????!
In one rural town, a high voltage electrical tower was installed, which has resulted in the suicide of one of the town�s residents. Furthermore, for the crime of �dining and dashing,� workers who have lost their jobs are being fined millions of won and being sentenced to prison. In these dubious times, I do not know how anyone can be all right.
2. 88?? ??? ????? ???? ?? ??? ??? ??? ?? ??? ??, ??? ??? ????? ??? ????? ???. ??? 1997~98?? IMF ?? ??? ?? ? ???? ? ?? ???, ? ??? ???? ???? ??? ???? ?? ????, ????? ???? ?? ?? ?? ?????? ??? ??? ??? ???? ??, ??? ?? ????. ?? ? ? ???? ???? ?? ??? ???? ????? ????? ????? ????, ??? ??? ? ? ???? ??? ?????.
2. 88?? ??? ????? ???? ?? ??? ??? ??? ?? ??? ??, ??? ??? ????? ??? ????? ???. ??? 1997~98?? IMF ?? ??? ?? ? ???? ? ?? ???, ? ??? ???? ???? ??? ???? ?? ????, ????? ???? ?? ?? ?? ?????? ??? ??? ??? ???? ??, ??? ?? ????. ?? ? ? ???? ???? ?? ??? ???? ????? ????? ????? ????, ??? ??? ? ? ???? ??? ?????.
2. Known as �The ?880,000 Generation,� the world thinks of us as a generation that has never known what it is to be poor; an affluent generation. A generation that knows nothing about politics or economics or what is going on in the rest of the world. However, wasn�t it our generation, the generation that grew up alone during the IMF Crisis of 1997~1998 as we had to guard the empty houses that we lived in,that was forced to stay quiet; to prepare for the University Entrance Exams despite the fact that many of our fellow students committed suicide, and to be indifferent? We are not indifferent to politics or to economics. Nor are we oblivious about them. It is just that we were never asked or were given permission to think about those issues for ourselves, or to give voice to our opinions. We were led to believe that we could live our lives being quiet and not have to worry.
??? ??? ?? ??? ?? ????. ?? ?? ? ??? ?? ?? ??? ?????. ?? ?? ?? ????. ???????. ? ? ?? ?? ?????. ?? ??? ???? ??????, ?? �??? ???�?? ????? ?? ??? ?? ? ??? ?? ????. ?? ???? ???? ??? ??? ?? ? ?? ???. ??? ?? ????? ????. ??? ????? ?? ????. ?? ??? ????!
??? ??? ?? ??? ?? ????. ?? ?? ? ??? ?? ?? ??? ?????. ?? ?? ?? ????. ???????. ? ? ?? ?? ?????. ?? ??? ???? ??????, ?? �??? ???�?? ????? ?? ??? ?? ? ??? ?? ????. ?? ???? ???? ??? ??? ?? ? ?? ???. ??? ?? ????? ????. ??? ????? ?? ????. ?? ??? ????!
However, we cannot live like that anymore. That is because the world that I live in is the kind of world that I had described earlier. I just want to ask you if you are doing all right. Do you really not have any worries? Do you turn the other cheek because you think that it is someone else�s problem? Are you stepping back, rationalizing your indifference to politics? If you are not all right, then I don�t think you can stop yourself from declaring so, regardless of what is ailing you. So I�d like to ask just one last time � Are you all right?