Oranckay on Kaesong and Workers’ Rights

I’m sure Pete and I disagree as much as any two people in the Korea blogosphere, but you’ve got to read what he has to say about the Hanky’s anti-human rights / anti-workers’ rights editorial. The Oranckay has a long history with the Korean unions, which I’ve called out for their hypocrisy for being absent from the Kaesong debate. Kudos to pete for being willing to risk burning bridges for the sake of advocating a consistent view that’s true to his beliefs.

I would not take such an absolutist view on this issue if there were good reasons to believe that Kaesong was really leading to openness and prosperity for North Korea. I don’t believe that for an instant in this case. The only way things will get better for workers in Kaesong, and elsewhere in North Korea, is if the world makes the same demands of North Korea that it’s made of Indonesia and Honduras, which at least have semi-open markets in labor, capital, and information going for them.