"A SINGLE SPARK" "Reform the pension system!" "In 1975... many faced death sentences for political activism against the military dictatorship." "Those were truly dark days." "I was on the run myself researching and writing a book about a worker." "Jeon Tae" " Il" "He had died just five years earlier." "Yet he was already half- forgotten." "But to me he represented all my hopes and dreams for the future." "Why are you out here again?" "Told you I'd get off one stop early." "Don't you trust me?" " You must be tired." " We've reached our quorum for the union." "Well done!" "Been up all night?" " Good progress with the writing?" " Not bad." "Life seems miraculous sometimes." "Don't you think?" "You mean because of the baby?" "To think of ten little toes wriggling inside me... cracks me up." "But you only think about Jeon Tae" " II, don't you?" "Jung" " Soon, you matter as much as he did." "Umbrellas!" "For sale!" "Umbrellas!" "For sale!" "Umbrellas!" "Umbrellas!" "Hey, umbrella boy!" " How much?" " 35 won." " 30 should do." " No, they're 35 won." "Then call it 33." " Then I make a loss!" " Nonsense, give it here!" " This is used!" " I just got them." "You little cheat!" "Taxi!" "No wonder you can't get a decentjob!" "There's always one isn't there?" "The one who wants tea when everyone's having coffee." "This plant is one of them." "He gets the same water, grows in the same soil, but he gets up later than the others." "Maybe his nights are like yours!" "Ah, I forgot the sauce." "Anyone home?" " Who is it?" " Hello!" "I'm coming." "Excuse me, I'm from the district office." "You must be Mr Lee Hui" " Jun." "Owner and sole occupier." "My youngest son is working in the Middle East." "My daughter visits me often." "Oh." "So who uses this room?" "Since my eldest son didn't come back from Vietnam..." "I've rented it out." "Anybody in?" "I'm here for the census." " Wait, wait a moment" " Anybody in?" "Yong" " Su, are you there?" "It looks occupied but the door's locked." "Look through here." "They aren't even registered." "They're a nice couple." "She has a factory job." "And he's studying for the civil service." " Who's there?" " Me" "Aren't you asleep yet?" "Oops" " The laundry's still out!" " A man was here today." " For the census." " Really?" " Your husband seems to be away." " Yes." " He says you must register." " Of course." "Poor thing works so late!" "Where's that husband of hers?" "Good night." "I told him you were good people." "Sssht!" " You've been hiding all day?" " Yes." "Hey, don't fall asleep!" "Come on!" "Come on, bring it here." "Hurry!" "Come on, move it." "Bring it here!" " Have you done this work before?" " OK, here it is" " No sir, it's my first time." " Put this up." " Where are you from?" " Taegu." " I see..." "Well, work hard!" " Thank you, sir!" " Tailor!" " Yeah" "You have a new assistant" "Come on, come up here" "He's around my age." " Here" " Assistant tailor!" " Assistant tailor!" " Yes" " Where are those pattern cuts?" " Coming up." " Assistant 4!" " Yes." " Here you go." " Here." "Are you free?" " Sit here and give me a hand." " OK" " Assistant 2!" " Yes." "Get a move on!" "Call these finished?" "Do them again!" "I can sew shit like this." "Work properly!" "Hey you... you!" "If you nod off and hurt yourself who'll marry you?" "And you!" "Just do your own job, understand?" "Yes, sir" " Where are you going?" " To the toilet." "How many times a day is that?" " Hurry up!" " Yes." "Excuse me, sir..." "I need to go, too." "What's up with you kids today?" " Trying to out- crap each other?" " Anybody else need to go!" "All 1000 pieces must be finished today." "I wish you kids worked as hard as you crap." "Yoon" " Shil!" " Yoon" " Shil!" " Why?" "The manager's asking for the stitched quilts." "They're piled in front of the machined ones." "You gonna take all day in there?" "Tae" " Il wanted so much to study." "He loved reading books." "He went to evening classes for a while" "He said those were his happiest times." "What's that?" "Aiming for college now, are you?" "Working at Samil, Tae" " II?" " They say the boss there is a real slave driver." " He's okay." "Anyhow, tailor is best in this field." "Time's up kids!" "Back downstairs!" "Damn, I've hardly digested my lunch." "Downstairs now!" "You're still not done yet?" "Almost done." "Don't make such a fuss!" "I was an army medic, you know." "These shots will really keep you awake." "Nothing works faster." "Anyone else need one?" "Yung" " Bae, these are for export!" " Must be ready by tomorrow!" " Yeah." "Hey, you kids!" "Two night's without sleep is nothing!" "They must be done by tomorrow!" " Got it?" " Alright." "Kyung-ja!" "She's coughing blood!" "She should go to hospital!" " What's up?" " I'll be all right." " Don't need to go to hospital." " Kyung-ja." "Hey, Kyung-ja." " Hey, Kyung-ja." " Kyung-ja." "Tae" " II, take her home." "OK" " What is it?" " It would be when we're so busy." "Come on, you all knew she had TB." "Get back to work!" "There's no where to wash my hands." "Nowhere at all." "What are you looking at instead of eating?" "Mum... there's a girl at work, about Soon" " Ok's age." "She got fired for coughing up blood." "No wonder you kids get ill, working in all that dust." "But the boss just doesn't care." "Those bastards would be in jail if the law was enforced." "There are laws to protect workers." "Don't know about that, do you?" ""Clause 45:" "Time off." "The employer must grant the employee a minimum of one day's paid leave per week."" "Goodnight, sir." " Goodnight." " Yeah." "Take care." " Goodbye, sir" " Yeah, goodbye." " I'll be off too." " Thanks for today." " Sorry I can't stay to tidy up." " Don't worry." "I'll do it." " OK" " See you early tomorrow." " Don't be late yourself." " Take care." "Yong" " Su..." "Yong" " Su, are you there?" " That was your Chinese reading class?" " Yes." "You teach it well." " Where are you these days?" " I'm fine." "Come in." " Impressive students!" " Yeah." "The classroom is clean." "We must do something to mark Kim Sang" " Jin's suicide." " What's the mood on campus?" " As you'd expect." "...and even religious groups are on the streets." "Nursing the sorrows of defeat, the citizens of South Vietnam." "Have been forced out of their own homes." "Mind if I turn off the TV?" "Who is to blame for that disaster?" "Hungry?" "You know why I was looking for you this evening?" "You said you wanted to have something special." "Today... they turned down our request to start a union." "One of the managers must be an informer." "They even knew about my evening- class study for workers." "Let's eat first." "Then we'll talk about it." " Go on." "Eat!" " Suddenly I'm not hungry." "Aren't you craving squid?" "Now I want something fresh..." "like fruit." " Enjoying it?" " Sure... but it's too much for one." "Remember when we first met?" "I complained that you went on about the labour laws" " instead of teaching academic subjects." " Yeah" "I was pretty green, wasn't I?" "Yes, you were." "Now try this pear... it's fruit!" "Kim!" "Yong" " Su..." "I know where Kim Yong" " Su is." "Can we really win?" "We'll win." "When things are this extreme the system is bound to crack." "They've executed those members of the Revolutionary Federation." "What'll happen if they catch you?" "They won't catch me." "Call me when the sun comes up at dawn" "Call me when the moon comes up at dusk" "I've waited and waited but my love does not come..." "That's her, coming now." "Goodnight" "Goodnight... sleep well..." "Where have you been this late?" "Out on a date?" " Why are you here?" " We have something to discuss." "Why else would the boss come all this way?" " Good evening, sir." " Miss Shin..." " Let's have a little chat." " These are for you..." "Take them, they're expensive." "Park, that's enough!" "Why don't we talk in a coffee shop?" "It's very late, let's talk at the factory tomorrow." "Show some respect!" "Come on!" " Let's move." " What do you want?" " I said move!" " Why are you doing this?" "You little..." "I was going to be gentle, but..." "Don't you like the present?" "Park, that's enough!" "Miss Shin!" "Surely you don't want to eat prison food?" "Take my advice." "Forget this nonsense about founding a union." "This isn't much, but please take it." " Go on, take it." " Please don't do this." "We're doing nothing illegal!" "Stop trying to bribe us!" "Who does this bitch think she's talking to?" "If you're so hot on the law, sue us!" "That's a loud bark for this time of night!" "Who the hell are you?" "Someone who won't let creeps harass my neighbour!" "You bastards!" "You scums!" "Come back!" "Are you all right?" "On a day like today..." "couldn't you stay home?" "I should make a point of being on time today." "You told me yourself..." "We have to show them they don't scare us." "One night it was way past midnight" "Tae" " Il didn't come home." "He finally stumbled in at dawn." "Of course, I asked where he'd been." "He just smiled and said nothing." "And after that, It was the same for the next three or four nights." "So I sat him down and demanded an explanation." "He told me the workers kept falling asleep on the job and couldn't even have lunch." "So he was buying sweetbreads for them with the money I gave him for the bus." "That helped to keep them going." "On his way, walking home he was caught breaking the curfew and had to spend the night in police custody." "It was heartbreaking to hear this but what could I say?" "Anyhow this set the pattern for the rest of his life." "He always dreamed of having an educated friend." "Now he has one... too late!" "It must be hard to be on the run" "Are you eating well, at least?" "You girls can go now." "I'll finish the rest..." "go home early." " Are you sure it's okay?" " Can we really go?" "Sure, go get some sleep." " Thank you" " Thank you." "What have we here?" "You think you're a tailor now?" "You go out to buy medicine when a girl gets sick and you side with them when I need more overtime work." "I've had enough of you, I really have." " President Kim is back!" " And "Mr Vice President" too" "Welcome, gentlemen!" "Tae" " II, be here for the early delivery tomorrow." " Come early." " Yes, sir." "You don't have what it takes to be a boss, you sap." "Stop being lazy and make some money if you wanna be a boss!" "The fucker..." " What's up with that bastard?" " Dunno." " Just finished?" " Yeah." " We have this Sunday off, don't we?" " Why?" "Let's go somewhere with the others." "We can share the costs." "We'll get to know each other better." "I'll bring the tent." "It's an American one." "And I'll get some girls to come." "Oh, fuck..." "Let's face it..." "This place sucks." "When did we last enjoy a Sunday off?" "Cooped up in here all week, we're usually too shattered" "Shit!" "The Labour Law sets minimum standards for the workplace." "It's supposed to protect us and improve our working conditions." " Want to see?" " What is this?" "Most of it's in Chinese!" " What's that?" " The Labour Law book." " Hey" " Labour Law?" " The weathers already..." " What is that?" "Let's all get together and discuss..." " Yeah, this is a great chance..." " What's up?" "Anyway let's go to the beach." "I am a fool." "I said nothing when girls only twelve or thirteen years old were fired without compensation for catching TB from all the dust." "The Labour Law says we have an absolute right to decent treatment as human beings." "All of us in the clothes industry are fools!" "When we openly admit that... then we can hope for better treatment some day." "Okay, now a song from the Fools' Association president." "The fool of fools..." "Jeon Tae" " II." "I bottle up my tears and sighs" "I roam the alleys in the dark" "Only for love will I risk my life!" "Don't despise me for being a child of the streets!" "Fools' Association president Jeon Tae" " Il [Recommendation]" "Fools' Association?" "Let me see that." "From early morning till late evening, we work an average of 15 hours per day." "And when extra work comes in, we sometimes keep going four days without sleep." " But our pay..." " Get to the point" "That is... that they flout the Labour Law." " The Labour Law states..." " I see." "We'll look into it." "You can go now." "Where are they all?" "Why is a tailor doing detailing?" "I sent them home." "The nerve of it!" "I warned you about this." "Sorry." "But they haven't slept in days they were too worn out." "Are you the boss now?" "Consider yourself fired!" "I can't work with a tailor who won't follow orders!" "Working conditions?" "Those wretches aren't hungry enough!" "Tell them to leave." "Making me crazy." "You're still waiting?" "We have to close up." "Sorry, they'll be here any moment." "Where are the others?" "Jin" " Chul can't make it." "Did they sack you too?" "Yeah." "I'm gonna join the army." "Mr Lee, any message for me?" "No, nothing." "Let's go!" "You can't pay?" "Don't you have a healthy son lazing around?" "Please give me a little more time." "I'll pay before the end of the month." "Shouldn't borrow if you can't pay back." "Debtors should take rat poison and kill themselves." "I'll fight to the end to make sure we never have another year like this." "Who is it?" "I'm from the shop." "There's a phone- call for you." "Yeah." "They dumped us here last night" "Are you badly hurt?" "Mi" " Ae was hurt worst." "Yesterday was our fourth day on strike." "The cops kept threatening us then they scared us by cutting off the lights." "Suddenly Jin" " Ok fainted." "She couldn't speak or breathe." "So we opened the door to take her to the hospital." " Yeah" " And those thugs... charged in with wooden clubs." " We were all bleeding and fainting." " Calm down." " And they dumped us here." " It's OK now." "Don't know what happened to the others." "Mi" " Ae..." "Let's go now." "Can you climb on to my back?" "Get on." "Be careful." "Hold on." "Down with the phoney reforms!" "Down with dictatorship!" " Down with the phoney reforms!" "Down with dictatorship!" " Catch them." "Down with..." "Down with the phoney reforms!" "Down with dictatorship!" "Down with the phoney reforms!" "Down with dictatorship!" "Down with the phoney reforms!" "Down with dictatorship!" "Down with the phoney reforms!" "Down with dictatorship!" "Down with the phoney reforms!" "Down with dictatorship!" "Down with the phoney reforms!" "Down with dictatorship!" "Down with the phoney reforms!" "Down with dictatorship!" "Down with the phoney reforms!" "Down with dictatorship!" "Fellow students!" "Attention please." "We will now begin the memorial ceremony for fellow student Kim Sang" " Jin, patriot and comrade." "Yong" " Su." "You'd better get out of here." "Let's go." "Once again our notion's tottered." "Dreams of democracy destroyed." "With the bright red blood of April we inherit the deaths of Jeon Tae" " Il and Kim Sang" " Jin." "Collecting on the grass more lustrous [RIGHTEOUS DEATHS, FURTIVE BURIAL]" "Than a pearl the beads of my sorrow cling like morning dew" " Cops!" "Must be after someone." " Cops running around." "Let go of me." "Umbrellas!" "Umbrellas!" "For sale!" "Umbrellas!" "Umbrellas!" "Umbrellas!" "Over here!" "100 won." " How old are you?" " Nine." "See that policeman?" "Give one to him." "Sir... for you." " It's for you." " Clear off!" "That man told me to give you one." " Who?" " That man over there." " Oh, you're here." " Yeah." "How's the job?" "It's good to do something physical." "I like working in here." "The boss treats you okay?" "Thanks." "I was looking through this." "It'll be important for us when it's published." " You know about the meeting?" " Of course." "See you on Sunday, then." "Take care." "You're missing Jung" " Soon, aren't you?" "The security clampdown since the fall of Vietnam makes everything harder." "The Park regime answers only to America." "Maybe we can pressure the Yanks through religious groups." "That's on the agenda today." "I'm so frustrated." "The way things are now..." "I'm coming to think of Jeon Tae" " II's death as a kind of religious martyrdom." " Yong" " Su, time to eat." " Yeah." "Here" "You're not sick, are you?" "I must go back... no matter what... to my pitiful workmates..." "Back to where my heart and mind belong." "Back to the innocent souls at Pyung" " Hwa Market." "Now I'm waking from a long, long dream." "I must stand by them in all their frailty." "I'm ready to sacrifice myself." "Hold on a little longer," "I'll not leave your side again." "That little that I am, is yours." "You are the home of my soul." "You're back." "You weren't in jail, were you?" " Jin" " Taek!" " Tae" " II!" " Great to see you back!" " Yeah, nice to see you." " Nothing's changed around here?" " You said it!" "Excuse me..." "This is for you." "You can't afford this!" "You brought us bread many times." "And we're so glad you're back." "Come in." " Good morning, Ma'am." " May I ask where you're from?" "I'm a tailor with Chonggae Garment Company." "I'm here to lodge a report with the inspector of labour." "I've noted some conditions which require appropriate action." "Miss Kim, What's up with you?" "Can just anyone walk in here like this?" " Gentlemen of the press, how are you?" " Anything new?" " There must be." " It's been a while." "Yes, Mr Kim Quite a while." "Director lm, long time no see!" " And Mr Kang too." " Yeah." "We can't receive you in here." "Let's move into my office." " Anything new in your office?" " Yes, a lot." "Let's talk over some tea." " Sounds good to me." " Yes." "Goodbye, ladies." "Asking for too much." "Not much earned today." " Where to now?" " Back to the office." "It's deadline day." "Excuse me..." " Aren't you a reporter?" " Yes, from Kyung" " Hyang Daily." "I want to tell you about illegal labour practices." " You work for Chonggae Garment Company?" "Let's talk outside." "We'll call ourselves "Sam" " Dong"" "after the three market buildings we all work in, a name to unite the workers of the three buildings." "Much better than "Fools' Association"." "We don't have to be fools anymore." "Our first priority is to publicize the conditions we work in." "I met a newspaper reporter yesterday." "Really?" "If we give him the details, he'll write about us." " Will they really publish it?" " We must trust him." "Anyhow, talking to officials is a complete waste of time." "We must tell the world about the unfair and inhuman conditions in the "Sam" " Dong" factories." " Okay, how?" " A demonstration." "You know like the university students." "Let's get down to concrete plans." "How many days off in a month?" " Two." " Sometimes none." "I wish we had Sundays off, in fact, all holidays off." "Why do you ask?" "I want to go to school." "I work around 16 hours a day." "You like such long working yours?" "No." " Then why do it?" " Ask my boss." "I'm from North Chung, Bo" " Ryung, Sao Road... dunno the number." "I've been assistant tailor for three years." "I get 23,000 won per month." "Used to go to church sometimes but..." " How's your health?" " My eyes are a bit..." "How would you improve your own working conditions?" "Dunno." "Well, for me" "I think I've become retarded." "They gave me those shots four days in a row." "Now I can't see properly." "And my fingers are stiff." "I came to Seoul with Kyung" " Ja." "She had a terrible time here." "She went back home when she got TB, I heard she died." " Tae" " II!" " Tae" " II!" " Tae" " II, take a look at this." " What's up?" "Our story is in the paper!" "In the paper!" "You really did it!" " Tae" " Il" " Yeah." "Newspaper!" "Newspaper!" "2,000 won" "Let's go!" "Newspaper!" "Newspaper!" "Pyung" " Hwa Market..." "Our story's in the paper!" "Newspaper!" "Our story's in the paper!" "Newspaper!" "Here you are." "What is it?" "Special report on Pyung" " Hwa Market!" ""Reduction of working hours, one rest- day per week."" ""Medical checks, abolishment of work- attics."" ""Guaranteed menstruation leave!"" "Do you girls get that too?" "Fine ideas." "But not so good for business solvency." "If you can't answer now, we can wait a few days." "A few days?" "And if I still can't answer you, then?" " Then we'll do what we must." " What we must?" "Aren't we all eating from the same rice- pot?" "Can't we reach a compromise?" "When does the parliamentary inspection finish?" "Next Tuesday..." "One week to go." "One week?" "I'll try to stall them that long." "Try to keep an eye on them." "This is truly a great day!" "Tae" " II, a man like you who fights for others' welfare deserves a medal!" "You're a fine man, Tae" " II!" "A fine man." "I must be going now." "I've paid for this." "You bosses can host the rest of the evening." " Enjoy yourselves." "I'll be on my way." " This is a great treat." " Our problems are half- way solved." " Absolutely." "Yes, absolutely." "The issues you've raised will be addressed." " Yes." " Thank you." " Rest assured." " Yes, sir." "We'll put in the ventilation system" " as soon as we can." " Okay." "When did you say that would be, Mr Kim?" "Within a week, sir." "Sorry to have troubled you, sir." " No problem." " Goodbye, sir." " Take care." " Thank you." ""Lmprovements within a week!"" ""Wait one more week" Those lying bastards!" "They never meant to keep their promises." "They treat us this way because we're not educated." "Any more slogans, Tae" " II?" " "We Are Not Machines."" " We..." "Are..." "Not..." "Machines..." "We've tried to improve the ventilation." "But you know the country's difficult situation." "Keep working hard, I can promise good news soon." "So get back to work!" "You're all patriots, aren't you?" "Now's the time to buckle up and work hard." "By the 1980s, you'll all own cars and live in luxury." "You don't believe that?" "Shall I show you the statistics?" "Don't think you've scared us into talking to you." "You don't know what you're doing." "Anyhow, the inspections are over now." "Fair working hours!" "Comply with labour laws!" " Abolish!" " Abolish the work- attics!" "Install ventilation!" "Install!" "Install!" "Guarantee menstruation leave!" "Install proper lights!" " Install" " Install proper lights!" "Comply with labour laws!" "Comply with labour laws!" "Comply with labour laws!" "It's hard enough to survive when you work your guts out." "I won't hire anyone who knows those Sam Dong gangsters." "It's up to you!" "Those fools are all Commies." "You'll be ruined, idiot!" "You'll end up in handcuffs!" "Tae" " II..." "Don't give up." "It's like hitting a stone with a feather." "Not a word about us in the papers." "It looks easy when the students do it but it's really hard." "At this rate, tomorrow could be a washout." "Let's burn the Labour Law book." "First we'll form a crowd." "I'll stand on a table in the middle, and read out the relevant clauses of the law." "And then I'll ask what use they are." "Laws that aren't enforced may as well be burnt." " Yeah." " Mrs Jeon, what brings you here?" "I took four or five buses to get here..." " Over there" " Please come in." " How are you coping?" " Good..." "I have plenty of space here." "Jung" " Soon was released a few days ago." "She's with your parents." "I asked my father to let me see Jung" " Soon." "I'd have to write about Tae" " II's death." "I had to glimpse at her briefly, even from a distance and my child inside her." "Maybe Jung" " Soon embodied a hope which would help me to get through the darkness of Jeon Tae" " II's death." "A hope!" "A new life must surely lie beyond that darkness." "Off to work, Tae" " II?" "See you later." " Where is everyone?" " So hot..." "Bad..." "Let's see what's going on." "The boss told us to stay inside during lunch." "They're all afraid to come out." "I'll try talking to them." "I'll try here, go ahead." "Hey, Tae" " II." " Let's go!" " It's all prepared, Tae" " II." "I'll go out first." "Abolish work- attics!" "Fair working hours!" "Lmprove working conditions!" "Install ventilation!" "Install ventilation!" "Comply with labour laws!" "We are not machines!" "We are not machines!" "Comply with labour laws!"