ABSTRACT
In South Korea, industrial labor has been at the crossroads of the two waves of globalization – namely, democratization and the development of a capitalist economy. The latter gave birth to it, and the former guaranteed workers’ constitutional rights to collectively protect their interests and welfare against those who hire them. However, the two waves have been at odds with one another since the very beginning. There was a wide gap between the constitution and the corporate employer regarding the concept of employee. The rights conferred to the employee by the constitution, if they are to be realized, have to be enforced by the government, honored by the employer, and effectively claimed by the employee. That the labor force has the right to claim what is due to it in the process of production is a modern concept, and the state and capital were not prepared to recognize this.
