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SAIS’s US-Korea Institute is on a roll in highlighting interesting new research; I just reported on a great event this last Thursday on Cell Phones in North Korea. Following suit, Marcus Noland will present his newest paper titled “Labor Standards and South Korean Employment Practices in North Korea” at SAIS’s Bernstein-Offit building on Tuesday, March 11 at 10:00-11:30am. The event is free and open to the public, but you will need to RSVP here.
Drawing from a survey of 200 South Korean firms doing trade and/or investment in North Korea, this research looks specifically at those who reported hiring North Korean labor. Besides delving into methods of hiring, firing, remuneration, dispute resolution, and worker-manager relations, the paper also asks a fundamental question: are the employment practices of these South Korean firms likely to encourage North Korea’s economic transition?
For anyone interested in labor economics, North-South relations, or the business environment of the DPRK, this will be a very worthwhile way to spend a Tuesday morning.