Trade unions in Korea have not attained the status of Solidarity
The post WWII history of Korea is marked by authoritarian rule and labor union protests
Collective bargaining has taken hold in some large firms such as Hyundai, but weaker in small firms
Korea had union protests in 1990 and again in 1997, when the government tried to increase labor flexibility
Even though Korea’s economy was growing more than twice as fast as the U.S., managements felt compelled to increase productivity
The election of political prisoner Kim Dae-jung eased labor concerns
Thus, political democratization is intimately linked to industrial relations changes and economic events in Korea