Sky Protest: New Forms of Labour Resistance in Neo-Liberal Korea

This article examines the rise of “sky protest,” a new form of labour resistance in Korea, by focusing on three major labour struggles at Hanjin Heavy Industry, Ssangyong Motors, and Hyundai Motors. Through a close examination of these instances of labour contention, this study argues that the rise to this new form of labour unrest is associated with deepening chasms in neo-liberalised Korean society, such as the division between globalising capital and immobile labour, the division between regular and non-regular workers within the labour market, and the division between the represented and the unrepresented by political institutions and collective organisations. This article ultimately argues that these multiple and severe divisions within Korean society pose a serious strain on its democratic governance.