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Varieties of Precarity: Melting Labour and the Failure to Protect Workers in the Korean Welfare State

Sophia Seung-yoon Lee


Author

Sophia Seung-yoon Lee 


Title

Varieties of Precarity: Melting Labour and the Failure to Protect Workers in the Korean Welfare State 


Publisher

Policy Press; First Edition (November 28, 2023)


Introduction

Despite recent achievements in the South Korean economy and development within welfare institutions, new forms of precarious work continue to prevail. This book introduces the concept of ‘melting labour’, which refers to the blurring of boundaries between traditional forms of work and workplace and the dissolution of standard employment relationships. Presenting a theoretical framework at the intersection of ‘melting labour’ and institutional protection of workers, it addresses how and why the Korean welfare state has failed to protect precarious workers. Based on rich, in-depth interviews with over 80 precarious workers in Korea, from subcontracted manufacturing workers to platform workers, it provides a real depiction of how workers lose control over their lives and experience precariousness in labour markets.
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