On November 18th, at the Jeon Tae-il Memorial Hall in Jongno, Seoul, Baek Seo-yeon, a 68-year-old sewing worker, participated in a handwritten event honoring Jeon Tae-il, who became a labor icon in South Korea. The event was part of a campaign by the Jeon Tae-il Foundation to designate November 13, the anniversary of his self-immolation, as a national memorial day. Baek, who joined the ranks of young workers in the 1970s, recounted her challenging experiences of working long hours under dire circumstances, often feeling ashamed of not being able to attend school like her peers.

The event attracted over 30 participants, all of whom shared a connection as junior laborers or small business owners struggling with low wages and poor working conditions. The issues they raised reflect a grim reality; despite decades since Jeon Tae-il's sacrifice, many workers are still subjected to exhausting work hours, averaging 13 hours a day, with wages stagnating since the financial crisis of the late 1990s. Workers like Park Kyung-mi and Yang Seong-rye emphasized how the current economic situation forces them to work even harder while their earnings fail to keep pace with rising living costs.

This gathering highlighted the need for ongoing advocacy and support for labor rights and fair compensation, echoing Jeon Tae-il's legacy of fighting for workers' dignity. The participants expressed hope for a 'Day for Workers' to honor their struggles and bring attention to labor issues still prevalent today, reaffirming the continuous fight for improvement in working conditions within South Korea's garment industry.