Korean Workers and Neoliberal GlobalizationOne of the most remarkable aspects of South Korea's transition from impoverished post-colonial nation to fully-fledged industrialized democracy has been the growth of its independent and dynamic labour movement. Korean Workers and Neoliberal Globalisation examines current trends and transformations within the Korean labour movement since the 1990s. It has been a common assumption that the 'third wave' of democratisation, the end of the Cold War, and the spread of neoliberal globalisation in the latter part of the 20th century have helped to create an environment in which organised labour is better placed to overcome bureaucratic national unionism and transform itself into a potential counter-globalisation movement. However, Kevin Gray argues that despite the apparent continued phenomena of labour militancy and the rhetoric of anti-neoliberalism, the mainstream independent labour movement in Korea has become increasingly institutionalised and bureaucratised into the new capitalist democracy. This process is demonstrated by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' experience of participation in various forms of policy making forums. Gray suggests that as a result, the KCTU has failed to mount an effective challenge against processes of neoliberal restructuring and concomitant social polarisation. The Korean experience provides an excellent case study for understanding the relationship between organised labour and globalisation. Korean Workers and Neoliberal Globalisation will appeal to students and scholars of Korean studies and International Political Economy, as well as Asian politics and economics. |
From inside the book
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It produced a new debate within the movement regarding how to overcome the
fractious nature of labour organization , how to build greater unity between labour
activists , and how to build an organization that could give the movement political
...
Nonetheless , Korea still occupies an important place within the broader SMU
debate . In both Korea and South Africa , “ strategic ' ( von Holdt 1992 , 1993 ) or
simply ' social unionism ' was proposed as a largely normative concept that seeks
...
... Jang - Jip 1992 : 246 ) . Whilst these arguments were largely made by
concerned intellectuals , this “ crisis of labour ' debate also strongly influenced
debates surrounding the formation of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
( KCTU ) ...
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Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Neoliberal globalization labour and resistance | 12 |
The rise and fall of militant labour unionism in Korea | 52 |
Copyright | |
7 other sections not shown