Labor Relations in South Korea: From Confrontation to Consultation

　　Author： Wang Xiaoling, Assistant Research Fellow, Institute of AsiaPacific Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

　　Abstract： Before 1987, the South Korean government has practiced the policy of suppressing labor unions in favor of nurturing enterprises. Following the rise of democratization movement, labor relations reached an unprecedented stage of conflict, establishing in the midst a tradition of confrontation between the country’s labor movements and their employers. In the 1990s, easing political, economic and social tensions in South Korea provided more favorable conditions for labor relations, but the enterprises and the labor unions had failed to alleviate labor tensions through consultation, much owing to the government’s inexperience and inaptitude. It was only until the financial crisis in 1997, as well as growing global competition in the meanwhile, that have provided the catalysts for the move towards greater labor consultation. When the “progressive camp” came into power, greater trust in laborgovernment relations prompted the whole society to rethink the detriments of labor confrontations and impasses. The South Korean government then began its initiatives to establish a topdown mechanism of labor consultation. Even though the labor tensions in South Korea are far from being resolved altogether, the trend towards greater labor consultation is set, and the 2008 financial crises has provided yet another opportunity to move this development further.