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Labor Militancy in South Korea

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  • Bong Joon Yoon

Abstract

Korea has adopted the labor institutions of Japan, which are noted for ensuring industrial peace unparalleled elsewhere, fostering worker‐management cooperation: company unionism, no temporary layoffs, synchronized annual contracts, seniority‐based wages, and the bonus system. Yet the labor relations in Korea have been turbulent for the last 15 years, with its strike intensity exceeding that of any industrialized country during most of that period. Why is labor so militant in South Korea? This research identifies two types of factors responsible for Korean labor militancy. First are sociopolitical factors: abrupt decontrol of labor relations in 1987 for which labor and management were and continue to be ill prepared, and the dominance of the age‐cohort of young, assertive workers in the workforce. The second factor is that Korean industrial policy and structure are shown to encourage union militancy as an unintended consequence.

Suggested Citation

  • Bong Joon Yoon, 2005. "Labor Militancy in South Korea," Asian Economic Journal, East Asian Economic Association, vol. 19(2), pages 205-230, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:asiaec:v:19:y:2005:i:2:p:205-230
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8381.2005.00210.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. ., 2010. "Reforms of the Labour Market and Industrial Relations," Chapters, in: The Korean Economy in Transition, chapter 11, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    2. Ilhang Shin & Sorah Park & Seong Pyo Cho & Seungho Choi, 2020. "The effect of labor unions on innovation and market valuation in business group affiliations: new evidence from South Korea," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 19(2), pages 239-270, April.
    3. Li-Hsuan Huang & Hsin-Yi Huang, 2017. "Real Wage Stagnancy: Evidence From Taiwan," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 65(02), pages 485-506, April.

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