They Are Not Machines: Korean Women Workers and their Fight for Democratic Trade Unionism in the 1970s

Examining the dark underbelly of the South Korean 'economic miracle', Chun Soonok outlines the political and economic history of Korea in the 1960s and 1970s with female-staffed textile sweatshops at the forefront of economic development. Based on compelling personal accounts, this is the first published account of the women workers' struggle and it throws much light on the process of modernization and industrialization in Korea beyond.

Chun Soonok, born in 1954, is related to two major figures within the history of the labour movement in South Korea. Her brother, Chun Tae-il, poured petrol over himself in November 1970, sacrificing his life to draw attention to the inhumane treatment of Korea's garment workers. His last words were "They are not machines". This deed galvanised grass-roots opposition to the officially-sanctioned organisation of labour and led to a new order in Korean industrial relations. Her mother, Yi So-sun, now in her 70s, has dedicated her life to the cause of human rights and democratic trade unionism and continues to play a leading role in representing the interests of workers. Chun Soonok began work in a sweat-shop garment factory in Seoul at the age of 16. Dismissed from several jobs for her trade union activities, she became involved in running a wide variety of welfare projects for workers in need. From the late 1980s she lectured on union affairs and women's issues in countries around the world. In 1989 she came to the UK to embark on a programme of study that culminated in the award of a PhD in 2001. She has been Visiting Fellow at Cardiff University and is now Research Professor at Sungkonghoe University, Seoul, South Korea