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.

[jinju]

Kaesong is bad.

Integrate the NK economy? Bomb them into the stone age and start from scratch.

[Zolt]

You mean bomb them to your intellectual level, jinju?

[ChopChaeJoe]

Kheasong is a South Korean city. It is currently being occupied by north korea (for the last 50-some years), but the war isn't over yet.

[ajgeddes]

Maybe after that, Americans can start making stuff and put "made in America" on it. I don't understand how something made in North Korea can be used in free trade between South Korea and another country.

[endo]

dave72, I cannot offer you any real advice but I wish you the best of luck with your research. It looks like a fascinating topic.

If you want to get first hand experience on the issue you could:

(a) Travel into North Korea and arrange through the guides to visit the Kaesong Complex. While there pretend like you are very impressed and ask as many questions as possible. Be deceptive in your questioning and ask hard questions while at the same time producing the image that you're extremely impressed.

(b) Try the refugee angle like you said. I wouldn't even know where to start and like you said most of them likely come from the northern border area. However, some of the defectors were in high postions of power, so I'm sure they would have some interesting comments.

(c) South Koreans or other foreign diplomats who may have visited the complex. I'm sure most of them would have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo and not supply any dirt. But there must be a few (if you can find them) who would have some useful information.



Finally, be careful. Yes, you are a simple researcher, however, your research could possibly be confused for industrial espionage. Play to peoples egos; don't look stupid, but don't look too smart as well.

[Sina qua non]

What's the nature of your research, which government, what university?

[dave72]

Sorry, I'm not very computer savvy, so I'm not sure how to respond to each of your comments individually. I'll do it all at once.

ChopChaeJoe: Whether Kaesong could be claimed a South Korean city is a matter of some debate. You'll recall that before 1945, there was no South and North Korea. This is a period of sixty years in a nation that claims a history dating back to 2333 BC. Before the occupation, under the Choson or Yi Dynasty, Korea was one sovereign nation. In the Koryo Dynasty period and before that, the united Korea was a country that spanned beyond the natural borders of the Yalu and Tumen rivers. Respectfully, I feel the truce line of 1953, the DMZ, is of little consequence in the bigger picture. Furthermore, though the two countries are still officially at war, and Kaesong City falls to the North of the truce line, establishing South Korean enterprises in North Korea could be considered an act of peace, perhaps the opposite of an act of war. I'm not saying I'm right about this, but it may be something to think about.

ajgeddes: You're right. It does seem a strange issue. The South Koreans argue that since the KIC uses South Korean capital and business management, not to mention a good deal of the material that is used in the final products that roll of the production lines of the KIC, then it can and should be labeled "Made in South Korea." There are greater political implications to these kinds of arrangements, however. You may want to consider the "Yarn Forward" rules in international trade and the American "Multi-Fibre Arrangement," as a starting point if you're interested in the topic. Just go to Wikipedia and this could give you a little more information on this. And consider this: if you're cell phone says "made in Korea," you might want to ask yourself just how much of it is actually made in Korea. I think you'll find the answer quite surprising. One more thing: the American congress in 1997, I believe it was, enacted a "Qualifying Industrial Zone Act" wherein Arab countries in the direct environs of Israel could create industrial zones in the middle of their countries (not contiguous to the borders of Israel), set up shop, produce goods using only a small amount of material from Israel, send the finished goods back to Israel, where they would place the label "Made in Israel," thereby allowing it to be traded with the US duty-free. Israel, of course, is a Most Favoured Nation of the US under terms of International Trade and the WTO. Why would the US enact such a strange law, do you think?

Endo: I really appreciate all of the advice about travelling to the DPRK. Actually at the moment I'm applying for funding to go there in the fall to conduct my research and, yes, I do have to keep my wits about me. I also think you're absolutely right about the manner in which I should question my subjects.

Sine qua non: I'm Canadian and I am applying to do work for a think tank based in Vancouver. I'll keep the name of this group to myself. I'm a graduate student at the University of Ottawa. The nature of my research is to simply add to the debate about the validity of the KIC in terms of a project that may help the DPRK to reintegrate with the world community. In fact, I really don't know if they can, at this point. It seems a little like global warming. At this point, there may be no turning back for the north. We'll see. What about you? Do you have any particular interests in this subject?

[Sina qua non]

[jinju]

looks like the op is another pro-dprk dreamer. The dprk is a failed pariah state that deserves nothing but sustained carpet bombing 24/7