Second of a double podcast episode about the South Korean movements of 1987 which overthrew the US-backed military dictatorship and won big improvements for workers. In these episodes we speak with Kim Jin-sook and Hong Seung Ha about their experiences of the June Democratic Struggle, and the Great Workers’ Struggle which immediately followed it.
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Part 2 covers the Great Workers’ Struggle, the massive strike wave, the first elections after the fall of the dictatorship, and its legacy today.

More information

• E53-56: The Gwangju uprising – WCH podcast about the 1980 uprising in Gwangju which preceded these movements.
• E51: Jeon Tae-il and Lee So-sun – WCH podcast about the organising of textile workers and the general historical background to South Korean history in the 20th-century.
• Timeline of South Korean history.
• Webpage for this episode with sources, full show notes, and transcripts.

Acknowledgements

• Thanks to our patreon supporters for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to Jazz Hands, Jamison D. Saltsman, Fernando López Ojeda and Jeremy Cusimano.
• Thanks also to the following people and groups for additional assistance with these episodes: Hwang Jeongeun and Steven, of the International Strategy Centre, Kwon Beomchul, Angela Lee, Kap Su Seol, Hwang Yi-ra, and Loren Goldner.
• Learn more about the International Strategy Centre at https://www.goisc.org/home
• Photograph used in episode graphic courtesy 『세계는 서울로, 서울은 세계로: 1984-1988』(2019) (The World to Seoul, Seoul to the World: 1984-1988) by 서울역사아카이브 (Seoul History Archive)/Wikimedia Commons
• Music used in this episode under fair use was “Marching For the Beloved” by Baek Ki-wan, Hwang Seok-young and Kim Jong-ryul.
• This episode was edited by Jesse French.