labor rights — English Posts — 국제전략센터/The International Strategy Center

Press Conference Announcing the One-Day Sit-In Delegation from Various Sectors at the Sejong Hotel Lobby

Last October and early November, we organized protests in Seoul and Gyeongju together with Korean organizations and ten international speakers to oppose APEC — a forum serving only the interests of capital and powerful nations. Those ten international speakers visited this very place, in front of the Sejong Hotel, to meet Comrade Go Jinsu during his high-altitude protest. When we later asked them what moment in Korea had left the deepest impression, they answered that it was their time here — meeting Comrade Go Jinsu, the trade union activists fighting in solidarity, civic group activists, and people standing together in struggle.

Solidarity ActivitiesInternational Strategy CenterJanuary 30, 2026labor rights, Labor

Who Drove the Martyr Yang Hoi-dong to His Death?

On May 1, May Day, a construction worker set himself on fire. The crackdown of the construction union by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration drove Yang Hoi-dong to his death. His death is the social murder of the Yoon Suk-yeol government.

Illegal multi-level subcontracting is rampant, and delayed/unpaid wages ongoing. Construction workers who have struggled to change construction sites, which relegate worker safety to the background, demanding to be treated with respect as workers and technicians, are being cornered as/ turned into criminals accompanied by extortion threats at regular intervals. Since January of this year, there have been 13 seizures and searches, 15 arrests, and 950 union members subpoenaed for investigation. The massive crackdown against the construction union has taken the life of the martyr.

ISC ArticlesInternational Strategy CenterMay 30, 2023Labor, labor rights

Driven to Resistance: Taxi Driver Suicides in Korea and the US

What does it mean to stand in solidarity with workers? For the taxi drivers calling out for recognition of their struggles, this is a key question and an opportunity to question how our current economic system is changing.

ISC ArticlesInternational Strategy CenterMay 7, 2019labor rights, labor

Going to Meet History

Recently, I joined the ISC’s Labor History Tour, and felt lucky that I could learn and connect to this city and country through living history. Having taught English in Jeollabuk-do before moving to Seoul, it can feel daunting to foster a sense of connectivity to a massive hive of grey high rises compared to a more countryside experience.

ISC ArticlesInternational Strategy CenterDecember 28, 2018labor rights, Labor, Jeon Tae-il, teacher's union'

Occupy the Blue House

I had already seen the line of tents on the sidewalk before while driving past the Blue House and didn’t think they were different from the ones I saw circling the U.S. embassy.

ISC ArticlesInternational Strategy CenterDecember 28, 2018labor rights, Labor, teacher's union', Jeon Tae-il

GM Korea a Sacrificial Lamb for Dine-and-Dash GM: Our Union’s Fight for Another Five Years

GM Korea and its union reached a tentative agreement on April 23, one hour before the deadline to file for court receivership (the first step in declaring bankruptcy).

Publications, The [su:p], Korean NewsInternational Strategy CenterApril 27, 2018Korea, USA, union, GM, Labor, labor rights, worker's rightsComment

International Headlines: Economy

• Greek Reform Plan Criticized
• California Labor Commission Ruling Deals Uber a Potentially Huge Setback
• IMF Study Says Inequality Is Hurting Growth, Calls For Wealth Redistribution
• Why Is HSBC Leaving Brazil and Turkey?
• At Fight for $15 Convention, A Call from Clinton but Little Talk of Union