Migrant Labor and Civil Society Relations in South Korea

Abstract

Nearly two decades have passed since migrant workers first entered Korea to fill labor shortages in the small and medium business sector. In response to the many difficulties faced by migrant workers in this highly exploitative sector of the economy, a dynamic civil society movement has emerged to provide day-to-day support for the migrant workers as well as propose alternative policy frameworks for their employment. Whilst the important role played by these organizations has been recognized, migrant worker activists have criticized this movement as being paternalistic and unresponsive to the needs and concerns of the migrant workers themselves. Migrant workers have accordingly begun to organize themselves and to directly to pursue their own interests, and there have also been tentative movements towards solidarity between migrant workers and the domestic labor movement. Despite the political significance of these developments, migrant worker activists remain in a highly vulnerable position and the continued development of this movement is by no means guaranteed.