Progressive views, moderate action: White-collar labor unions in the Korean transition to democracy

This dissertation examines the relationship between the white-collar labor movement and the current process of democratization in Korea. More specifically, the central concerns are (1) to relate Korean political reforms to labor-management relations; (2) to study the effects of changes in the political sphere on the development of white-collar labor organization; and, (3) to examine the contribution of labor actions to the overall process of political change toward democratization. White-collar unions are chosen for particular attention because they have been a leading force in the organizational expansion and resurgence of the overall Korean labor movement during the last few years of political transition.;The expansion of Korean white-collar labor unionism is stymied largely by employer opposition and intervention, the prevalence of a fragmented industrial relations system, and workers' reluctance to support the union movement. It is also conditioned by the persistence of the legacy of authoritarian state control, the absence of party-union ties, and the lack of professional and stable union leadership. The contribution of the labor movement to democratization as explained by workers' belief in the legitimacy of the democratic state, their positive evaluations of the political outcomes of the regime change, and their willingness to sacrifice labor demands for the political objective of regime consolidation.;This dissertation shows that changing political events have significantly influenced the development of unionism in Korea. In addition, it asserts that the white-collar labor movement has eventually contributed to a more moderate path of democratization and to the consolidation of a democratic regime in Korea by limiting labor's particular interests and collective action in favor of stabilizing democracy.