City bus strike derails SNU students' mornings

The students and faculty at Seoul National University were left stranded Thursday amid an all-out strike by city bus drivers, which...

City bus strike derails SNU students' mornings

The students and faculty at Seoul National University were left stranded Thursday amid an all-out strike by city bus drivers, which left 97 percent of Seoul’s public buses halted for 11 hours. The Seoul Bus Labor Union had initially requested that bus companies in Seoul raise hourly wages by 12.7 percent, citing low wages as the reason behind the exodus of bus drivers. However, the Seoul Bus Transportation Business Association, which represents the management, maintained its plan for a 2.5 percent wage-hike, calling the union’s demand “excessive.” In light of such differences, 88 percent of union members voted in favor of a plan to launch a city-wide strike, during a union meeting held on 19 March. The strike began at 4 a.m. on Thursday. Many Seoul citizens suffered from the strike during morning rush hour. The students and faculty at SNU were no exception, as city buses are one of the only ways to reach SNU’s Gwanak Campus. Students studying in building 301 and 302 experienced the most inconvenience, as their only option of getting to class was to take the city bus. Some students who were unaware of the strike experienced panic when they found themselves stranded. “I urgently hailed a taxi from Seoul National Univ. subway station after learning about the strike ten minutes before class,” said a senior surnamed Lee. Meanwhile, town buses and shuttle buses were more crowded than usual. "I usually use the shuttle bus or a city bus (to get to school). But today, I took Gwanak 02, a town bus, because I was informed about the strike. My friends who had to take the shuttle bus this morning couldn’t get on the bus for more than 20 minutes because they were full of people," said Kim Ji-won, a student studying at the Department of Business. "If the strike continues, I am going to take the school shuttle bus or walk to the university. I might also carpool in a taxi,” said Kim, describing the ways she was going to adapt in case the strike was prolonged. Meanwhile, the Seoul City government also devised measures to alleviate inconveniences. Seoul Subway operated its trains at shorter intervals and extended the last train time by about one hour. Moreover, there were also 250 free shuttle buses provided by district governments for the citizens. In Gwanak-gu, the district where SNU is located, public shuttle buses from Daehak-dong and Bongcheon-dong ran to SNU on a 20-minute schedule. Lasting 11 hours, the strike ended at 3:20 p.m., when the union and management agreed on a plan to increase hourly-wages by 4.8 percent, while guaranteeing an extra 650,000 won ($480.71) in holiday allowances, according to Seoul City which mediated the agreement. “It may have been inconvenient if the strike was prolonged, but I am glad that it ended,” said another student Park Joo-min, expressing relief that the union and management had reached an agreement. This is the first bus strike in Seoul since 2012.

[Opinion] Gaza, “If only I were a candle in the dark”

In his travels to Palestine between 2005 and 2008, the South Korean poet and photographer Park No-hae was unsettled by what he witnessed. In Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth, he saw the Israeli-built concrete wall separating the city from Jerusalem. In Salfit, an ancient town in the central part of the occupied West Bank, he saw olive trees, some as old as a thousand years, cut down by the Israeli army to make way for illegal settlement expansion. As he traveled the West Bank, he saw Israeli checkpoints where Palestinians languished in lines for hours and were subjected to humiliating inspections. The parallels between Israeli colonialism in Palestine and Japanese colonialism in Korea would not have been lost on Park, whose parents participated in the struggle for Korea’s independence. To those who have been affected by histories of occupation, colonialism, and apartheid, the story of Palestine is a familiar one. In the words of the South African anti-apartheid hero, Nelson Mandela: “We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.” But one needs not to know colonialism and occupation firsthand to oppose it, and one needs not to have experienced the horrors of war to empathize with the 2.3 million Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip facing displacement, starvation, and death. For months, people and governments around the world have called for a ceasefire, and protests in solidarity with the Palestinian people have taken place regularly in every corner of the globe. And yet, the carnage continues ahead. Whole families and communities have been wiped out. An entire generation of Palestinian children have been traumatized to their core. Their suffering is indescribable, their anguish unimaginable. Nothing excuses indiscriminate violence and attacks on civilians, be they Palestinian or Israeli. The targeting of Israeli civilians in the Hamas-led 7 October attacks can be neither denied nor justified. It is, nevertheless, both possible and necessary to attempt to understand the context of the ongoing violence. We will not find a way toward peace if we do not see the path which has brought us to the present moment. History, as Palestinians would remind us, didn’t begin on 7 October. For decades, Gaza’s refugee camps have been home to people who can testify to a history of dispossession, displacement, and massacre. Many of them are descendants of Palestinians who were driven out of their homes as a consequence of the partition of historic Palestine and the creation of the state of Israel. In “The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine (2006),” Israeli historian Ilan Pappé chronicles the events of 1947 to 1948 when over 750,000 Palestinians, more than half of the native population, were either expelled or fled from their homes for fear of being killed. Israel’s 1967 military occupation of Gaza and the subsequent creation of Israeli settlements in the occupied territory displaced more Palestinians, exacerbating an already precarious situation. In 2005, Israel withdrew its settlers and troops from Gaza, but kept the territory fenced in by barbed wire and concrete walls. Following the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections, which resulted in a Hamas victory, Israel placed Gaza under a stifling blockade, turning the narrow strip of land into a densely populated open-air prison. The historical context of the ongoing violence also includes what the Jewish-American philosopher Judith Butler describes as Israel’s “systematic devaluation of Palestinian lives.” In “Precarious Life” (2004), Butler discusses how the “dehumanization” of Palestinians at the hands of Israel and its Western allies has rendered Palestinian lives “ungrievable.” This devaluation of Palestinian lives has been on full display during the past six months, as Western countries including the United States and Germany have continued to supply Israel with weapons and diplomatic support in the face of the overwhelming number of displaced, starved, and killed Gazans. Park No-hae’s photographs from Palestine remind us of the humanity of a people whose faces are too often unseen, their voices unheard, their humanity denied, and their deaths either ignored or reduced to mind-numbing statistics. They remind us of the resilience of a people who refuse to be erased, and who continue to cultivate the dream of a future free from occupation, blockade, and forced exile. Perhaps sometime this week, you’ll take a couple of hours out of your day to visit Park’s “Beneath the Olive Tree” exhibition at Ra Gallery. As you view these photos, you’ll be reminded that the humanity of the Palestinian people is intrinsically connected to your own humanity, and you may recall the words of the great Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish: "As you liberate yourself in metaphor, think of others (those who have lost the right to speak). As you think of others far away, think of yourself (say: “If only I were a candle in the dark”)." The author is an Associate Professor at Seoul National University's Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations --Ed.

[80th Edition] Letter from the Editor

Dear readers, The 80th edition of The SNU Quill knocks on your door under the theme “Boiling Point.” The magazine finds you at a time when the pot full of tumult comes to a simmer. The world has been closely following Madame Disruption’s renowned recipe for crisis which reads as follows: Five parts polarization, three parts fervor, two parts populism, and a pinch of disinformation—the cherry on top. From the Israel-Hamas conflict to the ousting of former US Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, the world saw a tumultuous year in 2023. The year was equally disruptive in South Korea, with the death of a teacher sparking nationwide outrage, and governmental policies—including those concerning the 2023 Jamboree and the removal of freedom fighter Hong Beom-do’s statue from Korea’s military academy—deeply polarizing and dividing the population. With major earthquakes in Turkey and Japan, and record temperatures throughout the summer, even Mother Nature seems to be adding her touch. In wake of such critical events, the role of journalism becomes ever-the-more-important. Hence, the editorial staff at The SNU Quill have meticulously selected a series of articles showcasing critical topics that will determine the course of tomorrow’s history. These articles pose pressing questions that are avoided by society for being too difficult or too sensitive. What is the status of minorities in Korea? How do private campus tours impact the students’ perception of outsiders? Why is our campus becoming infiltrated by large franchises while campus unions die out? Where are the social crevices in the debate between teacher’s authority and student rights? These are only some of the questions that this edition fiddles with. We sincerely hope that this selection of articles provides an insightful glimpse into the fault lines within our campus and society. Our magazine itself has seen much change in the past semester. Digital transformation and restructuring have been our key focus. A group of freelance engineers have been revamping our website which we hope will provide a friendlier user experience. A shout out to the outstanding team of engineers led by Cho In-hyuk. The new website will launch within the first half of 2024—something to look out for. Meanwhile, our newly formed Strategic Planning Team has been working arduously to promote our brand and reach. The team’s talented members, led by Cho Sang-hun, have much up their sleeves. For 2024, they are planning more events where you will be able to meet us on and off campus; so please keep an eye out for that too. More information on our upcoming changes can be found in the last two pages of this edition. Amid such changes, I would not have been able to push through this turbulent semester if it were not for our fantastic editorial team. A million thanks to You-jin, Yun-geun, Da-eun, Hyun-kyung, Ji-woo, and Ji-won for helping me persevere. I am always humbled by your support and your love for The SNU Quill. To our subeditors, So-ya, Joo-young, Hae-soo and Hee-seo, thanks for the great support you provided in each of your sections. My deepest gratitude to Hye-rin and Yoo-suk for working so passionately, despite the subpar conditions. And a great magnitude of respect and appreciation to Sang-hun for navigating through the myriad of hurdles that arise when leading a newly formed team. Lastly, a huge thanks to each member of The SNU Quill family for playing their part in bringing this magazine to fruition. You guys are my All-Star team. I would like to conclude this letter with a plea to our readers. Despite being surrounded by a simmering society just about to reach its boiling point, our campus was surprisingly tranquil this year. As classes returned to complete normalcy, Jahayeon was filled with clubs looking for new recruits, while students took naps on bean bag chairs in the newly furbished Grass Plaza. However, under this thinly woven veil lies a great sense of political apathy, showcased by the 2023 student body elections which saw many colleges and departments failing to elect student representatives due to low voter turnouts. The cacophony of voices accompanying the bombardment of information has rendered students to plug in their ears. No one gathers at the Acropolis anymore, even amid the government’s push to reduce research funding. The walls are no longer thickly covered in posters that carry written debates about the most pressing social issues. Everyone is busy living their own lives. But I urge you, dear readers, to keep your ears open, for a neglected pot that boils will surely cause havoc. And I urge you, dear readers, to thirst for information, as knowledge—not ignorance—is bliss. Finally, I urge you, dear readers, to ponder upon the questions posed by society, for the answers lie within each and everyone of us. And in turn, I—and our magazine—promise to quench your thirst for knowledge with thought-provoking and insightful perspectives, in hopes of providing small clues in navigating this boiling world. Your truly, Lee Seung-ku Editor-in-chief The SNU Quill

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