Self-Immolation of Jeon Tae-il

Jeon Tae-il, a garment cutter at Pyeonghwa Market, set himself on fire crying "Obey the Labour Standards Act", spurring the growth of the labour movement.

Garment workers at Pyeonghwa Market worked more than 14 hours a day in cramped workshops for low wages. When demands by the cutter Jeon Tae-il and his co-workers for better conditions were ignored, he set himself on fire on 13 November 1970, crying "Obey the Labour Standards Act!" and "We are not machines!"

The Cheonggye Garment Workers’ Union was formed in the aftermath, public attention to labour issues grew, and the labour movement expanded in the 1970s.