The Cold War - 1721 Words

Colonial history also contributed to the stances of labor and the state. The colonial regime adopted a very hostile position towards the labor movement because labor was associated with the independence movement. Knowing that much of the leadership in independent Korea, including Park Chung Hee, was trained under the Japanese attitudes towards labor can be expected to have carried over. The specter of the Cold War is important to understanding the Korean labor movement. South Korea faced a very real threat from North Korea and anything associated with communism was suspect at the very least. Because the labor movement had traditionally been backed by leftist groups, including communists, it was viewed as threat by the South Korean†¦show more content†¦Basic economic principles dictated that circumstances favored capital, but could not predict the actual working conditions in factories or the unrest that would come from them. Once the pool of labor inputs had been effect ively exhausted and political conditions changed, wages did rise and conditions improved. Women took a leadership role in unionization because of the roles they held at the bottom tier of industrial work. Though societal gender biases created these conditions in large part, the unionization efforts of women were not necessarily feminist in nature (Koo, 96). They were instead driven by class concerns which were particularly relevant to women. Women were paid significantly less than men and had little opportunity to advance into supervisory positions. This meant they had the least to lose from organizing and the most to gain (Koo, 93). Male workers on the other hand, even if exploited, risked foregoing promotions and wages, as well as social stigma if they participated in agitation. The role of the church in interacting with labor, particularly females, is significant. The church emerged in its role because it was one institution that was relatively immune to anti-communist char ges and repression (Koo, 78). Churches were a safe haven for airing grievances. Because of gender norms, churches were one of the few institutions