• Korean Journal of Labor Studies
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-28
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• 2018

This paper studies and evaluates the present situation of three decades of 'Minjoonojoundong' in Korea with a long-term perspectives. It had grown up during 1987 labour regime era and has declined abruptly since 1998. The backdrop of this decline was the transformation of labour regime from the 1987 regime to the dependent neoliberal one. The Korean labour movement did not respond to the changed structural conditions as it sustained its old strategies, militant unionism. Now the 'Minjoonojoundong' in Korea has met three difficult problems that are connected with each others. They are militant economism, political economism and formal industrial unionism. However the 'Candlelight Revolution' occurred in 2016 winter has opened a chance of regime change that could strengthen the 'Minjoonojoundong'. The revolution was primarily a political one. But it also created a dramatic situation change in labour politics. The candle-citizen demanded radical change of the polarized Korean society and overflown contingent workers. So it is a time of radical and overall innovation for the 'Minjoonojoundong' and KCTU. And they have to keep the long-term strategical vision of labour regime change.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.53-81
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• 2000

Between 1980 and 1997 the Korean textile and clothing industry (KTCI) experienced the transformation of export-led accumulation regime rooted in domestically-derived price competitiveness into the combination between foreign mass production involving the geographical extension of productive forces and quality strategy based on upgrading technology and automation involved in the domestic market for high quality and price products. This restructuring of the KTCI is rooted at the crisis in the export-led growth regime implemented unity 1980 due to the rapid increase in wage levels by the ‘great labour movement’occurred in 1987. In particular, increased wage and collective bargaining realized through labour empowerment led to the crisis in the conjoin between mass production and mass export based on long working hours and low wage structure. The aim of this paper is to explore the transformation of development modes between 1980 and 1997 that can help us in understanding the fundamental reasons for the restructuring of the KTCI. To this end, the paper identifiles the changing accumulation regimes between 1980 and 1997 mediated by wage-labour relations, inter-firm relations and state-film relations, which are insitutional forms of the modes of regulation.

• Korean Journal of Labor Studies
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.179-209
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• 2018

Three dacades of time have passed since the Korean labour movement experimented its political empowerment struggle. Generally it has failed for all some positive results. But unfortunately there were no critical and intellectual reflections regarding the failure within the labour movement. This study drew three conclusions. Firstly, the success or failure of political experiments was caused mainly by the labour regime changes of the Korean society. Secondly, the motive power was provided not by the progressive party, the Democratic Labour Party, but by the trade union movement and organization, the Minjoonochong. Lastly, the Candle-Light revolution in 2016 has produced some new conditions for the second stage of political empowerment praxis in Korean labour movement.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.73-96
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• 1992

Korean economy has experienced rapid expansion of the service sector at the expense of the manufacturing sector since 1988, which was caused by the wage increase and the appreciation of Won. The government worried about the deindustrialization and the erosion of the international competitiveness, and various measures were taken to enduce labor force into the manufacturing sector. However, this article argues that the expansion of the service sector is inevitable phenomenon in the process of economic development, and the balanced industrial policies are desirable. In addition, the Uruguay Round Service Negotiations require liberalization of the service market and internationalization of the service industries.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.63
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• pp.53-75
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• 2013

This study looks into Dooriban movement, which problematizes the ways in which social movements are carried out in everyday settings in modern Korea. Contrary to traditional social movements, Dooriban movement led by active/independent participants -who are locally situated and culturally sensitized- showed a new way of engaging with political power. Making use of qualitative methodology such as in-depth interviews and participant observation, this research examines the implications of emergent cultural practices that redefine and reconfigure the working mechanisms of social movements in Korea today.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.141-157
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• 2007

This paper evaluates the effects of privatization and deregulation on the firm-specific efficiency and total factor productivity (TFP) growth in the Korean and Japanese railways. Using a stochastic frontier approach and a generalized translog functional form, the paper specifies the equation system consisting of a multiproduct variable cost function and input share equations which is estimated with Zellner's iterative seemingly unrelated regression and the corrected least squares method. The Korean and Japanese railway firms are assumed to produce three outputs (Shinkansen passenger-kilometers, incumbent railway passenger-kilometers, ton-kilometers of freight) using three input factors (labor, fuel, maintenance and rolling stock). A monetary value of the ways and fixed installations held by the railroad firm is also included as a quasi-fixed input. The empirical results indicate that the average estimate of cost inefficiency is 2.57% for the total sample and on the average, JNR and JR Kyushu are found to be worst efficient while the most efficient railway firm in the sample is JR West. Also the cost efficiency levels of seven JRs have been improved after the reform and privatization of JNR. The findings also indicate that TFP growth of the privately-owned JRs are higher than those of the government-owned KNR and JNR. Three-island JRs and JR Freight have slightly higher TFP growth than Honshu JRs as well. Thus, the results suggest that managerial autonomy and increased competition via deregulation have improved efficiency and TFP growth.