Garment worker and labor activist who set himself on fire at Pyeonghwa Market demanding enforcement of the Labor Standards Act
| Life | 1948 ~ 1970 |
| Era | 현대 |
| Clan | 정선 전씨 |
Jeon Tae-il (1948-1970) was born in Daegu and worked as a sewing hand and cutter in the garment workshops of Pyeonghwa Market on Cheonggyecheon, Seoul. After learning of the Labor Standards Act in 1968, he formed the Fools' Association (Baboheo) to spread knowledge of the law, then organized the Samdong Fellowship, surveyed working conditions and petitioned the labor office and the president, with little result.
On 13 November 1970, while preparing a ceremonial burning of the Labor Standards Act, he set himself on fire in front of Pyeonghwa Market and died that night at the age of 22. He is introduced as a Jeongseon Jeon.
Working as a cutter he saw how apprentices were treated, studied the Labor Standards Act and appealed for better conditions. Surveys and petitions went unanswered by the government.
After his death the Cheonggye Garment Workers' Union was formed and labor activism spread. He was recognized as a victim of the democratization movement in 2002, the Jeon Tae-il Memorial Hall opened in Jongno-gu, Seoul in 2019, and in 2020 he was awarded the Order of Civil Merit (Mugunghwa) as the first labor figure so honored.
He is widely reported to rest at Moran Cemetery Park in Maseok, Namyangju, Gyeonggi.
His sister Jeon Sun-ok became a labor activist and a member of the 19th National Assembly (proportional). His mother Lee So-sun is also known as a labor activist.