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
Results 1-3 of 54
... nature of this struggle led Bruce Cumings ( 1997 : 339 ) to argue that ' there may be no country more deserving of democracy in our time than the Republic of Korea ' . Following mass demonstrations in June 1987 , the democratic ...
... nature of the ' third - wave ' of democracy raises the question of how resistance is conceptualized . A key neo - Gramscian argu- ment is that the decline of the historical bloc's hegemonic nature creates the conditions for resistance ...
... nature of social welfare would lead to grow- ing equality and solidarity rather than the growing polarization brought by neoliberal restructuring ( KCTU 1999a , Kim Yeon - Myung 1999 ) . Thus , between the formation of the KCTU in 1995 ...
Contents
Neoliberal globalization labour and resistance | 12 |
Globalization crisis and the entrenchment | 31 |
The rise and fall of militant labour unionism in Korea | 52 |
Copyright | |
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