A few weeks ago, I commented on legislation proposed in Korea that would allow people harmed by public protests to bring class action lawsuits against the protesters. On Friday, progressive Korean newspaper The Hankyoreh published an editorial criticising the proposal as anti-democratic effort to squelch peaceful dissent. The editorial discusses the use of class actions in the United States as a means of redress for those who individually would lack the power to take on powerful government and corporate interests and points out the irony in the proposed legislation, which it says is merely a tool by the powers-that-be to further weaken the ability of individuals to challenge their power, stating:
Any system of class action lawsuits designed to limit the ability of the weak in society to claim their rights is out of step with the original intent behind allowing class action lawsuits in the first place.
