The Korea-EU Free
Trade Agreement (KOREU FTA) has been framed as a case in which the ‘labour
provisions’ in trade agreements could contribute to respect for fundamental
principles and rights at work. From a perspective of European commentators, in
particular, this evaluation is seemingly based on the idea that the complaints
mechanism within the FTA – notably the Panel of Experts – helped South Korea to
arrive at the long-delayed ratification of the International Labour
Organization(ILO) fundamental Conventions, and that opportunities for social
dialogue were created in Korea, where they did not previously exist.
This article attempts
to review these evaluations from a perspective of the Global South, based on a
history of struggles of labour and social movements in Korea. First, it
illustrates how Korean trade unions and social movements have staged protests
against neoliberal globalization and trade agreements since 1990s. This would
explain why Korean civil society was highly sceptical of claims that the labour
provisions could improve rights of workers and public interests. Second, this
article highlights the real challenges and difficulties for meaningful social
dialogue, which Korean trade unions have experienced inside and outside of the
Trade and Sustainable Development Chapters in the KOREU FTA.
In addition, the paper analyses the extent to
which the principle of freedom of association has been respected and considers
whether meaningful change has occurred in Korea, before and after the
ratification of ILO Conventions. This analysis leads to questions such as how
international labour standards, notably freedom of association, could be
realized in domestic countries, and the role of trade unions and civil society
in defending and promoting fundamental labour rights, with or without the FTA
regime.