[Photo] Korea’s longest labor dispute enters its 11th year

Former employees of the Cort (Cor-Tek) guitar company are continuing their multi-decade struggle to be reinstated at their jobs, staging a sit-in at Gwanghwamun Plaza in Seoul on Apr. 9. The saga began in April 2007 when Cort laid off 56 workers at its factory in Bupyeong, Incheon, and a further 65 at its Gyeryong, Daejeon factory that July. One year later, it closed its Bupyeong factory and let the remaining 125 workers go. The company now produces its guitars overseas in China and Indonesia.

As he showed off a picture of the guitars that he once used to make, former employee Lee Jae-chun said, “These were high quality musical instruments worth between 500,000 and 600,000 won (US$470-$560), but [since the jobs moved overseas] the quality has declined and I can only hear the sound.” Lee has come together with former workers Bang Jong-woon (leader of the Cort labor union), Kim Gyeong-bong, and Lee Ing-geun to form the Cort Band, who last year released an album to commemorate the 10th year of their struggle to have their jobs reinstated. (by Lee Jung-ah, staff reporter)