Jeon Tae-il was a South Korean sewing worker and workers' rights activist who committed suicide by self-immolation at the age of 22 in protest of the poor working conditions of South Korean factories during the Third Republic era.
19 Facts About Jeon Tae-il
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Jeon Tae-il's death brought attention to the country's substandard labor conditions and advanced the formation of a labor union movement in South Korea.
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Jeon Tae-il was the son of Jeon Sang-soo, a poor sewing worker from Namsan-dong, Daegu, and his wife, Lee So-sun.
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Jeon Tae-il did not finish elementary school and had an underprivileged childhood with little formal education; he began peddling on the street to survive.
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Jeon Tae-il learned to sew from his father, but he ran away from home again with his younger brother in 1964 and went to Seoul.
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Jeon Tae-il peddled at Dongdaemun Market, delivered newspapers, and did other menial work such as shoe polishing.
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Jeon Tae-il was later employed as an assistant at the clothing store of Seoul Peace Market.
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Jeon Tae-il worked for 14 hours everyday and earned a daily wage of 50 won and a cup of tea.
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In 1968, Jeon Tae-il became aware of the Labor Standards Act which protected workers' human rights.
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Jeon Tae-il purchased a guidebook of the act and began studying it.
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Jeon Tae-il informed the workers of the Peace Market of the contents of the act and the unfairness of their current working conditions.
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Jeon Tae-il surveyed the Peace Market's current working conditions through a questionnaire.
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Jeon Tae-il received emergency treatment, but his body was unable to stretch out because it had been hardened by the burns.
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Jeon Tae-il's suicide prompted the formation of several labor unions, including the Clothing Workers' Union in the Peace Market.
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Jeon Tae-il's death mobilized and motivated workers to take up the struggle of workers' rights, and this eventually led to the creation of labor unions in South Korea.
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Jeon Tae-il's death became a catalyst for uniting many university students, some religious officials, and the news media, which continuously silenced their support for the cause of the workers.
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In 2001, Jeon Tae-il was recognized by the government as a member of the democratization movement.
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On 19 September 1996, Jeon Tae-il Street was created in Euljiro 6-ga, Jung District, Seoul.
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On 12 November 2020, the South Korean government celebrated the 50th anniversary of Jeon Tae-il's death, commemorating his sacrifice and expressing its commitment toward a labor-respecting society by posthumously awarding the Mugungwha Medal of the Order of Civil Merit for the first time in the category of labor.