Micromobilization and Suicide Protest in South Korea, 1970–2004

• Autores: Hyojoung Kim
• Localización: Social research: An international quarterly of the social sciences, ISSN 0037-783X, Nº. 2, 2008 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Martyrdom, Self-Sacrifice, and Self-Denial), págs. 543-578
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • On November 13, 1970, in Seoul, South Korea, Chun Tae-Il, a 23 year old garment worker, set himself on fire at Chongghye-Chun, the country’s largest textile and garment wholesale district, to protest the subhuman working conditions in the sweatshops and the government’s lack ofenforcement ofeven the most rudimentary rights ofworkers. The districtwas comprised ofthe Peace Market, Tong-il Shopping Center, and Donghwa Market, with approximately 800 sweatshops and an estimate of 20,000 workers. Most of the workers were young females in their early teens. The working conditions were beyond description: mostly young female workers were laboring in a small two-story compartment filled with material and sewing machines. The ceilings were so low that standing up was barely possible and the air was saturated with fabric dust.