Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dave72]

I am currently conducting research about the Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC), a South Korean enterprise situated in North Korea, using North Korean labour. My research is intended to generate new perspectives on how best to reintegrate North Korea into the world economy, if that is indeed a possibility. At the moment, Canada, the USA and a host of other countries are negotiating free trade agreements with South Korea. The South Korean representatives want KIC-produced goods, which are mostly labelled �Made in Korea,� to qualify as Korean products and to be traded without duty. If KIC-manufactured goods are included in such agreements, as they already have been with Singapore, the EFTA and China, then this will greatly increase markets for the zone, which will, in turn, expand the size and the scope of the KIC, and many more North Korean labourers will be employed there.

Canada, America and any other country considering inclusion of KIC-manufactured products in FTAs with South Korea need to consider the rights of the workers. North Korea, as a state member of the UN�s International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) has pledged to uphold certain minimum standards in terms of labour rights, amongst other basic human rights. To wit, they have agreed to allow workers to freely choose the work they wish to do, to have a clean, safe environment in which to work, to have a social safety net, to be given wages that ensure a decent standard of living for them and their families, etc. The South Korean Ministry of Unification has assured Human Rights Watch that the North Korean authorities have adhered to all promises that they have made concerning the ICESCR, and that they uphold additional labour standards enshrined in the Kaesong Industrial Complex Law. If this is indeed the case, then I submit that Kaesong-manufactured goods should be included in future FTAs. If this is not the case, then Canada, America and other countries would be making a grievous mistake in including such products for duty-free trade under the Rules of Origin issue I have outlined.

My challenge is to wade through the often contradictory statements, news reports and politics speak. It is exceedingly difficult to get at the truth of workers� rights in the KIC. My feeling, similar to that of Human Rights Watch, is that though the KIC is no workers� paradise, the working conditions there are probably better than anywhere else in North Korea for the popular classes. Yet, how is one to verify this? What information is trustworthy, is accurate? Wall Street Journal articles? Literature published by KINU or the Ministry of Unification (ROK)? Peer-reviewed scholarly papers written by Western scholars who have never set foot in North Korea? Blogs? I have read just about everything published about the KIC, both in Korean and in English. Not only have I NOT found the smoking gun I�m searching for, I haven�t found a kernel of knowledge about this subject that I am confident is truthful.

I have set myself the task, then, of shedding some light on the protection of workers� rights in the KIC, however insignificant my contribution may be. Something is considerably more than nothing. I endeavour to learn from those who have been to the complex and /or the surrounding area, and who know something about it. These people could include politicians, missionaries, reporters, academics and NGO workers. I believe, however, that those who could shed the most light on the issue are the North Koreans themselves. As such I hope to locate some North Korean refugees that have lived in or near Kaesong. I know that this is a long shot because most refugees from the DPRK come from the northern regions of the country, where life is harshest and where they can escape across the rivers.

If you can help me in any way, I would greatly appreciate it. I want to assure readers that the identities of refugees that I may interview will be kept confidential. This I guarantee.

In addition, I am applying for a grant with which I will be able to travel to South and North Korea, and China next fall. At that time, I would love to meet people who have a similar interest in person.

I would love to hear your comments. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

[jaganath69]

If you want a rought indication of how North Korean workers earning hard currency are treated, look for a range of articles printed recently about their conditions in Eastern Europe, mainly the Czech Republic. Here are a few to get you started.

http://www.rfa.org/english/news/2007/01/17/korea_migrants/

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/11/09/news/czech.php

http://www.migrationonline.cz/article_f.shtml?x=1691365

If you can then believe that the indentured conditions these workers endure in that country would be any better in Kaesong, then feel free to argue that their products should be included in any FTA. I'll be interested to see what you can dig up surrounding the rights of workers there. BTW, is this for a thesis? I'm doing mine this year on the effects of religion and nationalism in regional insurgencies in Indonesia. Would be interested to see what you come up with as it is a very interesting topic. Keep us posted.

[dave72]

Thanks very much for your reply. I'll read those articles carefully before I respond about them.

Yes, it's for an MA Thesis, which I'm hoping will blossom into a Ph.D dissertation. We'll see. I'm studying in Canada at the University of Ottawa. I'll send you a reply soon. Thanks again.