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parties inside and outside the global value chain came to contest labour standards, laying
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crew on board South Korean fishing vessels, hitherto exploited, abused and isolated,
emerged as a significant actor to bring about a clear transition in the governance of a
multipolar global value chain. In this paper, we analyse the series of events which led to
regulatory change and consider whether the dynamics from the case offer lessons for
improving labour standards and regulation in global value chains more generally.
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