Fordism In Korea

The Fordist economy of South Korea has now reached the level where that country is officially a modern capitalist economy, the workers there now have a five day work week, but it is causing them some stress as they were brought up in the command economy of a militarist based State Capitalism.

More play, less toil creates stress for some Korean families

The shorter week has come as a particular shock to older members of Korea's predominantly male work force. Mr. Kim, for instance, grew up listening to official nation-building propaganda songs with lyrics like "Let's wake up early in the morning, work hard and make a good town." School books of the day hammered home such lessons as: "I was born for reviving and rehabilitating our nation." For Koreans in their mid-forties and older, "feeling guilty, staying long hours, and not knowing how to rest is part of the legacy of Gen. Park Chung Hee," says Park Tae Gyun, a Korean-studies professor at Seoul National University. The dictator ran South Korea during nearly two decades of rapid industrialization until his assassination in 1979.

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