Description: This book is a study of labor relations and the first generation of skilled workers in colonial Korea, a subject crucial to the understanding of modernization in twentieth-century Korea. Born in rural Korea, these workers confronted both the colonial experience and the modern workplace as they interacted with Japanese managers and workers. In post-colonial Korea, they formed the nucleus of the workforce, both blue and white collar, that has transformed Korea. They are often portrayed as passive victims, but in reality they were active players who formed their own identities as skilled workers. Based on the archives of the Onoda Cement Factory and interviews with surviving workers, this work analyzes the complex relationship between colonialism and modernization.

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