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 1-5 of 54
... resistance 12 2 Globalization, crisis and the entrenchment of neoliberalism in Korea 31 3 The rise and fall of militant labour unionism in Korea 52 4 Social movement unionism and the Korean labour movement 71 5 Late-democratization and ...
... resistance by organized labour, a key turning point came in late 1997 with the outbreak of the economic and financial crisis. Despite the role of ill-conceived liberalization measures in provoking the crisis, the IMF bailout and ensuing ...
... resistance to the neoliberal Washington consensus and the neo-Imperialism which seeks to further that consensusf' This has led to common understandings of a 'global justice movement' or 'global civil society', which, it is argued, may ...
... resistance to globalization? What can the Korean case tell us more generally about the potential of organized labour to challenge neoliberal globalization? The experience of the Korean labour movement is relevant to those who are ...
... resistance' cannot possibly fully account for the complex politics of organized labour under conditions of neoliberal globalization, and thus labour cannot be given an a priori label of either hegemonic or resistance. Rather, organized ...
Contents
1 | |
12 | |
2 Globalization crisis and the entrenchment of neoliberalism in Korea | 31 |
3 The rise and fall of militant labour unionism in Korea | 52 |
4 Social movement unionism and the Korean labour movement | 71 |
5 Latedemocratization and low intensity social corporatism | 92 |
6 Korean labour and the struggle against neoliberalism | 110 |
7 The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions social reform struggle | 130 |
Conclusion | 150 |
Notes | 162 |
Bibliography | 170 |
Index | 189 |