SHARPS joined the September 27 Climate Justice March.

SHARPS (Supporters for the Health and Rights of People in the Semiconductor industry) joined the September 27 Climate Justice March.

On the afternoon of the 27th, 653 civil society organizations, trade unions, farmers’ groups, and religious organizations gathered at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul for the “927 Climate Justice March.” Participants declared, “To a government that claims to have been born from the power of the square, we ask again, here in the square”—and announced six key demands for climate justice:

1.   Set greenhouse gas reduction targets and transition plans based on climate justice

2.   Phase out nuclear and fossil fuels, and expand public renewable energy

3.   Reconsider semiconductor and AI industry growth policies for corporations and halt ecologically destructive projects

4.   Guarantee the dignity and basic rights of all life and strengthen social public goods

5.   Ensure the sustainability of farming and farmers, and establish the right to food

6.   End wars and massacres, and stop arms industry expansion and weapons exports

Among them, SHARPS demanded: “Abolish the pro-chaebol, anti-labor, anti-environment Semiconductor Special Act!”

In preparation for the march, comrades who had met SHARPS at the Yoon Suk-yeol Resignation rallies gathered at our office three weeks earlier. Together, they created large chrysanthemum flowers, made memorial displays with photos of deceased workers attached to recycled CDs, prepared quizzes on semiconductor workers’ health rights and the environment, and designed banners. On the day of the march, forty people joined SHARPS in the streets, carrying our flag, the giant chrysanthemums, banners, and portraits of the deceased. We chanted, “We want a Just Semiconductor Industry! Guarantee Labor Rights and Climate Justice!” as we marched through the center of Seoul.

Also present that day were activists from AMRC, survivors and bereaved families of LG Styrene victims from India, who joined in solidarity.

During the main rally, SHARPS full-time activist Kwon Young-eun spoke on stage:

“Samsung uses over 500,000 tons of hazardous chemicals every year for semiconductor production, releasing thousands of tons of pollutants. One million tons of waste annually is offloaded onto subcontracted workers. The industry consumes massive amounts of electricity and hundreds of thousands of tons of water daily, destroying ecosystems and communities.

Yet the Korean government is pushing ahead with the Semiconductor Special Act—pouring massive state finances and tax breaks into chaebol companies without any safety or health measures, betraying both workers and climate justice.”

The 2025 Climate Justice March was more than just an environmental rally—it was a grand arena of people’s politics that cut across democracy, labor, equality, and peace. The collective cry of “If not now, it will be too late” remains as our shared promise to go beyond the climate crisis toward survival and a better, new society.

🎥 A video featuring Kwon Young-eun’s speech and SHARPS’s participation in the march, produced by Diversity Korea, can be viewed here:https://youtube.com/shorts/q4Xin5Q1gFE?si=hizcfqPYvPvhVGFV

Full Speech by SHARPS activist Kwon Young-eun (Main Stage):

“I am Kwon Young-eun, an activist with SHARPS, Supporters for the Health and Rights of People in the Semiconductor industry.

Ms. Jung Hyang-sook, who worked at Samsung Semiconductor for 21 years before developing a rare disease, once said:‘I liked working in semiconductors. I was proud of it, and I could buy clothes for my children without hesitation. But after getting sick, my feelings became complicated.’

Hundreds of semiconductor workers who became ill have come to SHARPS. Behind semiconductors lie workers’ illnesses and deaths.

Samsung uses over 500,000 tons of toxic chemicals every year, discharges thousands of tons of pollutants, and generates one million tons of waste annually—burdening subcontracted workers. It consumes enormous amounts of electricity and hundreds of thousands of tons of water daily, destroying local ecosystems and communities.

And yet, the government pushes ahead with the Semiconductor Special Act. It pours national finances into corporate profits, granting tax breaks and privileges to chaebols. Even as the environment is destroyed and the lives of residents and workers collapse, they turn away. Economists point out that these chaebol subsidies cannot even guarantee the so-called ‘economic benefits’ touted by the government and corporations.

This is not limited to semiconductors. AI industry promotion, new airports, cable cars in national parks, dams, the Four Major Rivers Project—all are examples of unequal, growth-centered development being pushed through.

Let us resist together. Let us cry out together:Not the profits of chaebol corporations, but a world where life and dignity come first! Let us build it together!”