A Single Spark -The Biography of Chun Tae-il (book review)

Review of the book: A Single Spark (The Biography of Chun Tae-il)

The book published in 1983 for the first time, revised in 1991 and again in 2001 also got published in English Edition in 2003. Readers of the book really get interested and get addicted to complete reading the book once they begin to read. Many more stories related to hardships in publishing the book have further contributed in making the readers more curious to know more about the enlightened man, Chun Tae-il. Furthermore, the story of the writer who got ready to put his life in front of death for writing about Chun Tae-il leaves them in the deep ocean of eagerness.

The introductory part of the book devotes to briefly let the readers know about Chun’s life introduction, the hardships he underwent, and how he became the beat of every laborers working in peace market, how he devoted his life to fight for the rights of labors during the dictatorial regime of Park Chung Hee. As the same, the part also explains how the death of Tae-il sensitized, awakened and inspired the students, intellectuals, churches and labors and their well wishers. The introductory part also has highlighted the Tae-il’s fight for humanity; all in all the outlining of the contribution of Tae-il in Korean labor movement, change in labor laws and ultimately to the democratic movement in Korea really moves the people.

The first chapter of the book starts giving the vivid pictures of his childhood. Telling the story about him and his family, he has got the poignant story that really deeply touches almost every human’s heart. His full-fledged dream of achieving knowledge through formal education overridden by his socio, economical and family circumstances is rather moving. The description of his struggle in a very a mall age for his leaving for taking care of his brother and his goal of not torturing his mother tells how Korean lower and middle class people of the period in Korea were to live their lives.

His entering into the peace market after his long struggle for putting his hands and mouth together is explained in the next chapter. His time and the days of workers in Peace Market gave him the real insight to fight for the better working conditions of labors. After experiencing the vicious practices of exploitation of the factory workers and their life and work predicaments, he, he turned very willing to study the existing labor laws of the period which was just in paper. In the companies labors were poorly paid, their working conditions and mistreatments from the owners to them.

Consequently, he realized the need of struggle for improving the workers conditions and their rights. He later got to know that they also had some of their rights stated in law. Then, he discussed with the few cutter friends in peace market about his discovery and how they could go ahead with their mission. Despite many people’s indifference because of the potential dangers that they might have to face, he managed to form a small group called ‘Society of Fools’ to fight for their rights. They also assumed themselves and other workers as fools wasting their life in meager salary just to make their living. But the struggle was too tough and many of the members could not be fully involved with the lack of time and fund. Only Chun and few friends were left to run the ‘Society of the fools’ and it had to be dissolved in the end. In his short life of Chun there is hardly any moment described as the peaceful time that he went through. It seems that he never got chance to have a peaceful moment in his life. The steps that he took were also full of despair. Due to involvement in the labor movement he was expelled from the factory in the peace market and he had to work in the construction sites for some time of his life. Being an eyewitness to a brutal reality, rage and sadness, it seems to the readers of the book that he is the second name of agony, poverty, shattered and Mozambique.

We can imagine how must have felt when he could speak to nobody about his struggle, for, nobody wanted to listen and understand him. There was nobody to accompany him to a journey in the lonely road of his life. There was nobody for him to share the pains of the oppressed workers. He actually knew the grievances and the tears of the workers though the other people didn’t have or want to listen to that story.

But obviously, he enlightened vision of equality, humanity and fight for the rights proves his geniuses even in his small age. His courage and readiness to even sacrifice his lives for the betterment of oppressed, exploited and marginalized people tells us that he was very altruistic like any great people in the world who gave the lives for their people and country. He resented the idea of a human being a slave to some other human.

While working in the construction sites in mountain he again decided to go back to the peace market to struggle for the labors for their rights and get what they really deserved. ‘I must go back’ was what he wrote he wrote in his diary.

Back in the peace market with the help of few friends he was able to form ‘The Samdong Friendship Association’ aimed at working like ‘The Society of fools’. Very rarely did newspapers help them to expose their appeals. But, there was a newspaper that wrote an article about them. However, this attracted very less attentions towards their problems – this problem still exists in various forms.

He was very much frustrated after the voices of the workers were not heard and not responded well. But, his passion for struggling against the atrocities and exploitations towards the workers didn’t die; rather it was fueled so that he got more motivated to make his voices full of agonies heard by the related authorities. He soon decided to use his final weapons get mobilized to penetrate the silence of the government and other people. Of course, we may imagine that he didn’t have any other strong weapons with him but his life. One day, while there was the inhuman suppression on their demonstration, he set himself blaze of fire awakening the sleeping minds, challenging the inhuman treatment of then government and ultimately giving his live for the justice, equality, humanity and democracy. His frequently told words “Don’t let my death be in vain” and another sentence “We are not Machines” encouraged people in Korea to make his dreams realized thereafter to some extent. As the title of the book, he was a single spark exploded as the dynamite that ultimately contributed to transfigure the whole society.

There is no doubt that this book has given the crystal clear picture of doctorial industrialization era in South Korea. For me, it as unbelievable story as I never imagined that some people had undergone such hardships in their lives during the period, although I myself have observed how much labor rights the laborers exercise at present time.

His experiences mentioned in his diary have been able to make the readers fully believe in what the editors of this book have explained. Of course, the coherence of explaining his through and mentioning of Tae-il’s words brought from his diary makes the readers feel like a young people studying some love story novel, as it is very difficult to stop reading while you are going with the biography. It lets the readers realize that present Korea was created out of many people’s sacrifices. Though we hear similar stories from developing countries where there may be many such Chun Tae-il living at this 21st century, it is very moving and heartbreaking story for me to have the knowledge about his struggle from his very small his till his death.

Moreover, his willpower commitments and determinations to ensuring the rights despite his pathetic family conditions make us deeply moved. This book can be one of the greatest motivating components even today in many countries where many people are doomed to undergo inhuman atrocities, exploitations leading their life to complete darkness. Many civil society activists and pro-democratic leaders must have been greatly inspired and motivated after reading the book. After the book publish and the labor union movement, many things changed in Korea, laborers were provided with better working conditions and many people got to realize what their rights are and what rights they have to entertain as humans no matter where you work.

For the people who easily get swayed by the faster economical development of Korea in dictatorial regime and appreciate the state-led economic development, this book will give them a great shock as they pass through the records of human rights violations in the period. Although, development theorists like theorists of dependencies and liberalism don’t agree with a single paradigm of development, no one can stand condemning the inhuman treatment towards labors of the period portrayed in this book, which makes any readers rething about the strong state paradigm.

I am not sure about it but I strongly urge that it will be very useful if Korean government includes the story of Chun Tae-il in school history curriculum so that each and every new generation has the taste of their seniors struggle in beautifying the country. To my eyes, the story of Tae-il will inspire Korean young generations to be more caring to human rights and justice.

This book can be a good source for people who are interested in understanding Korean developmental era under the authoritarian regime. It is better if we read the book and critically analyze the dark as well as bright part of the period; and thereby shape our prospectives from the lens of our own eyes. The first writer of the book Cho Young-rae should always be the subject for historians and sociologist for further studies on Tae-il.

I have found the book very powerful and full of lessons that can be learnt and used for bettering many lives like of Chun Tae-ils who are still living like him in some parts of this world.