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In December 1996 and January 1997, South Korea experienced the largest organized strike in its history, when workers in the automotive and shipbuilding industries refused to work in protest against a law which was to make firing employees easier for employers and curtail labor organizing rights. Among other things, the Korean government intended to postpone the legal recognition of the recently established Korean Confederation of Trade Unions until the year 2000. The officially recognized Federation of Korean Trade Unions then called upon its 1.2 million members to go on strike on December 26. This was its first call for a general strike since the union's founding in 1962.〔(Korea: Trainees and Strike ). Migration News 4(4), February 1997. URL visited on December 18, 2006.〕 After a single day, the strikes started spreading to other sectors including hospitals.〔(Labor unrest escalates in South Korea ). CNN.com, December 27, 1996. URL visited on December 18, 2006.〕 On December 28, South Korean riot police turned violent against the strikers, using tear gas to dispel crowds. Strikers responded by throwing bricks.〔(South Korea labor strike turns violent ). CNN.com, December 28, 1996. URL visited on December 18, 2006.〕 In late January 1997, the strike ended after the labor laws were repealed by the government. ==Overview== In December 1996 and January 1997, there was a massive four week nationwide strike in South Korea in protest against newly passed labor laws which gave employers more power to lay off employees, made it easier to hire temporary/strike replacing workers and put off allowing multiple unions to be formed at a given enterprise. This resulted in the mobilized three million workers, which shut down auto/ship production, disrupted hospitals, subways and television. The two main unions involved were The Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) working with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (FCTU). This strike was notable due to its consistently high levels of worker participation and high level of public support. Two months after the end of the strike, the government passed very similar laws with only small concessions, making the strikes enormously successful in mobilization but only marginally successful in terms of actual results.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「1996–97 strikes in South Korea」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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