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The Evolution of Korean Industrial and Employment Relations
The Evolution of Korean Industrial and Employment Relations explores current employment and workplace relations practice in South Korea, tracing their origins to key historical events and giving cultural, politico-economic and global context to the inevitable cultural adaptation in one of Asia’s ‘miraculous’ democracies.
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Critical Acclaim
Contributors
Contents
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The Evolution of Korean Industrial and Employment Relations explores current employment and workplace relations practice in South Korea, tracing their origins to key historical events and inevitable cultural adaptation in one of Asia’s ‘miraculous’ democracies. This volume challenges common but dated misconceptions of Korean industrial relations fixated on an economically successful but politically turbulent past.
As Korea’s employment relations continue to evolve, the accommodations made by companies and labor provide powerful insights for leaders in developing economies worldwide striving for prosperity, stability, and democratization. This book focuses on current realities both social and economic to uncover the potent challenges facing employers and workers in a slow-growth era of union decline. Lee and Kaufman provide a wide-ranging and global perspective authored by established and up-and-coming scholars both in and outside Korea in fields such as labor law, sociology, industrial relations, and labor economics. Up-to-date evaluation, data and analysis provide a modern and innovative perspective on employment and industrial relations practice.
Scholars of global and specifically Asian industrial relations, human resource management and modern comparative labor relations will find this book of value. Policy makers and CEOs in emerging economics will benefit from the modern and innovative perspective on employment and industrial relations practice, including CEOs managing workplaces in South Korea.
As Korea’s employment relations continue to evolve, the accommodations made by companies and labor provide powerful insights for leaders in developing economies worldwide striving for prosperity, stability, and democratization. This book focuses on current realities both social and economic to uncover the potent challenges facing employers and workers in a slow-growth era of union decline. Lee and Kaufman provide a wide-ranging and global perspective authored by established and up-and-coming scholars both in and outside Korea in fields such as labor law, sociology, industrial relations, and labor economics. Up-to-date evaluation, data and analysis provide a modern and innovative perspective on employment and industrial relations practice.
Scholars of global and specifically Asian industrial relations, human resource management and modern comparative labor relations will find this book of value. Policy makers and CEOs in emerging economics will benefit from the modern and innovative perspective on employment and industrial relations practice, including CEOs managing workplaces in South Korea.
Critical Acclaim
‘Korea owes its rise to the ranks of the most prosperous nations, largely, to its investment in human resources. Yet, significant gaps remain that block further improvements in the lives of its workers and citizens. This book is as authoritative and comprehensive as it is insightful on the strengths of the Korean system and the challenges Korean policymakers face. In this respect, this book is not simply a telling of the Korean condition but rather of every nation aspiring to prosperity.’
– Anil Verma, University of Toronto, Canada
‘This book is a compedium of information on the evolution, development and practice of employment relations in South Korea. It records the dynamism that enables the tripartite actors in S. Korea to respond to changing economic and political development, as well as the tremendous industrialization that the country has witnessed in recent decades. The social partners have not only played an active role in shaping public policy, as well as the behaviour and interaction between them and the State. These have enormously contributed to industrial peace, industrialization and economic growth and development. This is a book that is surely to serve not only the academic community and the social partners in Korea, as they evaluate their own role, strategy and desirable changes so as to build on achieved success. For students of comparative employment relations, the book is a useful case study, and I commend it to the international employment relations community.’
– Tayo Fashoyin, Retired Professor of Comparative Employment Relations; Former Director in the ILO, Geneva, and Former Secretary of ILERA.
‘This book is an invaluable source of information on Korean employment relations, and provides an interesting analysis of historical, current and future perspectives.’
– Mia Ronmar, Lund University Law School, Sweden
‘As a developed country with fast economic growth in Asia, Korea has had an impressive development history and a remarkable model of employment and industrial relations. This book, as the collaborative achievement of the topflight Korean and international scholars, offers a comprehensive review and a balanced analysis of the characteristics, experiences, problems, and challenges of employment and industrial relations in Korea. It is a highly readable and thought-provoking account and serves as a very valuable contribution to comparative employment relations and global governance of employment and industrial relations.’
– Xiangquan Zeng, The member of the ILERA Executive Committee, Renmin University of China
‘This book has a world interest for people that study and work in labour relations, it addresses universal problems such as: Women employment and gender inequality, the expectation of women in regards to marriage and child rearing, striket activity,etc. This book will also be very useful to people who work in Korean’s facortires and business. It will be an important contribution to labour relations and for people who work in the field.’
– Martha Monsalve Cuellar, ILERA Columbia President, Executive Committee Member
– Anil Verma, University of Toronto, Canada
‘This book is a compedium of information on the evolution, development and practice of employment relations in South Korea. It records the dynamism that enables the tripartite actors in S. Korea to respond to changing economic and political development, as well as the tremendous industrialization that the country has witnessed in recent decades. The social partners have not only played an active role in shaping public policy, as well as the behaviour and interaction between them and the State. These have enormously contributed to industrial peace, industrialization and economic growth and development. This is a book that is surely to serve not only the academic community and the social partners in Korea, as they evaluate their own role, strategy and desirable changes so as to build on achieved success. For students of comparative employment relations, the book is a useful case study, and I commend it to the international employment relations community.’
– Tayo Fashoyin, Retired Professor of Comparative Employment Relations; Former Director in the ILO, Geneva, and Former Secretary of ILERA.
‘This book is an invaluable source of information on Korean employment relations, and provides an interesting analysis of historical, current and future perspectives.’
– Mia Ronmar, Lund University Law School, Sweden
‘As a developed country with fast economic growth in Asia, Korea has had an impressive development history and a remarkable model of employment and industrial relations. This book, as the collaborative achievement of the topflight Korean and international scholars, offers a comprehensive review and a balanced analysis of the characteristics, experiences, problems, and challenges of employment and industrial relations in Korea. It is a highly readable and thought-provoking account and serves as a very valuable contribution to comparative employment relations and global governance of employment and industrial relations.’
– Xiangquan Zeng, The member of the ILERA Executive Committee, Renmin University of China
‘This book has a world interest for people that study and work in labour relations, it addresses universal problems such as: Women employment and gender inequality, the expectation of women in regards to marriage and child rearing, striket activity,etc. This book will also be very useful to people who work in Korean’s facortires and business. It will be an important contribution to labour relations and for people who work in the field.’
– Martha Monsalve Cuellar, ILERA Columbia President, Executive Committee Member
Contributors
Contributors: J.R. Bellace, C. Brewster, H.-G. Chang, Y.-K. Choi, F.L. Cooke, V.L. Doellgast, M. Gunderson, J.-J. Hur, I. Jun, B.E. Kaufman, D.-B. Kim, D.-O. Kim, H. Kim, H.-T. Kim, T.A. Kochan, H. Kwon, R. Lansbury, B.-H. Lee, K.-S. Lee, S.-H. Lee, S.-M. Lee, Y.-M. Lee, D. Lewin, Y. Nho, K.W. Park, M.J. Park, K.-P. Roh, P. Sheldon, P.B. Voos
Contents
Contents:
Foreword by Dong-One Kim
Introduction
Young-Myon Lee and Bruce E. Kaufman
PART I PRELIMINARY STEPS TO UNDERSTANDING EMPLOYMENT AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS IN SOUTH KOREA
Byoung-Hoon Lee
1. Viewing Korean employment and industrial relations
Young-Myon Lee and Bruce E. Kaufman
2. The historical development of employment and labor relations in Korea
Kwang-Pyo Roh and Chris Brewster
PART II INTRODUCTION TO THE MAIN ACTORS: EMPLOYERS, EMPLOYEES, COLLECTIVE REPRESENTATIVES, AND GOVERNMENT
Thomas A. Kochan
3. The Korea Employers’ Federation and the development of Korean industrial relations
In Jun, Peter Sheldon and Kang-Sung Lee
4. The faltering militancy of labor unions: Recent developments in collective bargaining
Yongjin Nho and Hyung-Tag Kim
5. The evolution of HRM practices and labor unions
Dong-Bae Kim and Fang Lee Cooke
6. Korean public sector employment relations
Seung-Hyeob Lee and David Lewin
7. New trends in Korean labor interest representation
Myung Joon Park
PART III CHALLENGES FACING THE LABOR MARKET AND EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS
Russell Lansbury
8. Changes in the Korean labor market
Jai-Joon Hur
9. The proliferation of contingent workers
Haejin Kim and Paula B. Voos
10. Human resource development
Sang-Min Lee and Morley Gunderson
11. Women, employment and gender inequality in South Korea
Heiwon Kwon and Virginia L. Doellgast
PART IV NEW APPRAISAL AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Janice R. Bellace
12. Worker rights
Hyuk Kwon
13. Strike activity in Korea
Kyoung Won Park
14. Works councils in Korea: History, performance and assessment
Bruce E. Kaufman and Young-Myon Lee
15. Social dialogue at a crossroads
Hong-Geun Chang
Conclusion: Korean employment and industrial relations – a work in progress
Young-Ki Choi
Index
Foreword by Dong-One Kim
Introduction
Young-Myon Lee and Bruce E. Kaufman
PART I PRELIMINARY STEPS TO UNDERSTANDING EMPLOYMENT AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS IN SOUTH KOREA
Byoung-Hoon Lee
1. Viewing Korean employment and industrial relations
Young-Myon Lee and Bruce E. Kaufman
2. The historical development of employment and labor relations in Korea
Kwang-Pyo Roh and Chris Brewster
PART II INTRODUCTION TO THE MAIN ACTORS: EMPLOYERS, EMPLOYEES, COLLECTIVE REPRESENTATIVES, AND GOVERNMENT
Thomas A. Kochan
3. The Korea Employers’ Federation and the development of Korean industrial relations
In Jun, Peter Sheldon and Kang-Sung Lee
4. The faltering militancy of labor unions: Recent developments in collective bargaining
Yongjin Nho and Hyung-Tag Kim
5. The evolution of HRM practices and labor unions
Dong-Bae Kim and Fang Lee Cooke
6. Korean public sector employment relations
Seung-Hyeob Lee and David Lewin
7. New trends in Korean labor interest representation
Myung Joon Park
PART III CHALLENGES FACING THE LABOR MARKET AND EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS
Russell Lansbury
8. Changes in the Korean labor market
Jai-Joon Hur
9. The proliferation of contingent workers
Haejin Kim and Paula B. Voos
10. Human resource development
Sang-Min Lee and Morley Gunderson
11. Women, employment and gender inequality in South Korea
Heiwon Kwon and Virginia L. Doellgast
PART IV NEW APPRAISAL AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Janice R. Bellace
12. Worker rights
Hyuk Kwon
13. Strike activity in Korea
Kyoung Won Park
14. Works councils in Korea: History, performance and assessment
Bruce E. Kaufman and Young-Myon Lee
15. Social dialogue at a crossroads
Hong-Geun Chang
Conclusion: Korean employment and industrial relations – a work in progress
Young-Ki Choi
Index
