Globalization, Financial Crisis, and Industrial Relations: The Case of South Korea
Year: 2003
Type: article
Abstract: The South Korean case shows that the globalization trend in the 1990s and the 1997–1998 financial crisis had two contrasting effects on labor rights. First, these developments resulted in negative labor market outcomes: increased unemployment, greater use of contingent workers, and widened income inequalities. On the other hand, they led international organizations such as the Organization for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) to play important roles in improving labor standards in Korea. Also, continued restructuring drives prompted unions to merge into industrial unions and wage strikes with increased frequency and intensity. Contrary to the common belief, the Korean case shows that globalization and intensified competition resulted in stronger and strategic responses from labor by stimulating employees’ interest in and reliance on trade unionism.
Authors: Dong‐one Kim, Seongsu Kim
Institutions: Korea University, Seoul National University
Language: English
Topic: Labor Movements and Unions
Subfield: Public Administration
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2064310384