South Korea: Epic Ssangyong workers' strike remembered

Real News Network – In May 2009, Korean workers at the Ssangyong Motors plant began a sit-in that lasted 77 days, one of the longest and most intense in the history of South Korean labour struggles. Ssangyong Motors, which was previously owned by the Chinese government-owned company Shanghai Motors, went bankrupt in January 2009, was taken over by a bank and private investors, and as part of its restructuring demanded massive layoffs. In response, the workers said no. Now joining us in Dearborn, Michigan, to tell us about the strike is Young-Ho Lee, who's the chair of the layoffs committee for Ssangyong Motors, which is a branch of the Korean Metal Workers Union. Thanks for joining us, Young-Ho. Tell us what happened during that 77 days. Why did the workers take over the plant? And what happened?