Changing Times

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Like a boxer past his prime, Lee Ho Dong can't resist coming out of his corner for a good brawl—even when no one is cheering for him anymore. The president of the Korean Power Plant Industry Union has spent the past two weeks huddled in an unheated tent pitched on the paving stones behind Seoul's Myeongdong Cathedral, the time-honored sanctuary of unionists and student rebels on the run. Lee and 20 other union members took refuge after police issued arrest warrants accusing them of launching illegal strikes to protest the government's plan to sell power plants to private investors. Privatization could destroy the economy, warns Lee: "The people know it's not right."

Maybe not, but when work stoppages disrupt daily life, people are less likely to be supportive than they once were. Decades ago, striking workers and student protesters came together to push for democracy through frequent and violent protest. The students were idealists; the unions wanted the bargaining power denied them through decades of pro-growth authoritarian rule. Now times have changed. Demonstrations still occur during periods of economic and political turmoil, but they've become mere rituals, street theater playing to an indifferent public. Strikes are even less popular. President Kim Dae Jung came to power with union support, but labor leaders say his policies have betrayed them by forcing companies to restructure—which means killing cradle-to-grave jobs that were once a birthright.

The unions' main gripe now: a government plan to privatize 11 public corporations such as Lee's employer Korea Electric Power Co. Labor Minister Bang Yong Seok says the strikes are a waste of time and that there's no possibility of changing the plan. Bang, who fought authoritarian rule as a young union leader in the 1970s, says, in the global economy today, only competitive companies survive, and unions have to get with the program.

The general populace seems to agree, and patience is wearing thin. "The public thinks unions are just interest groups acting at the cost of public welfare," says Nam Sung Il, a labor expert at Sogang University in Seoul. Activists appear to have worn out their welcome at Myeongdong Cathedral too. Says associate pastor Lee Jun Sung: "The church shouldn't be exploited as an arena for this kind of fight," adding: "These people just barged in." To drive the point home, the church has cut off electricity to the cathedral.

The government has forced gas and rail workers back to work with token concessions. But at the end of last week, Lee and his men were vowing to hold out. Says Lee: "We'll stay here until we win." With sentiment running against him, he could be facing a long, cold wait.