In the past month South Korea has been the scene of a bitter struggle between one of the main unions in the country, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), and the right-wing government led by president Park Geun-hye.

The world’s attention is once again focused on North Korea. This is not due to a new nuclear test, imperialist saber-rattling, or a military clash with South Korea along the world’s most militarized border. This time, the reason is potentially even more explosive: the death of Kim Jong-il.

An in-depth analysis of the current wave of strikes in South Korea, the implications of the move towards reunification and a look at the history of the Korean working class.

The Korean working class has come of age. This mighty movement offers us both lessons and inspiration and must fill the bourgeois with fear and trepidation of what is yet to come. The economic miracle of the so-called tiger economies has been brought to and end, the strike has shown that rather than being a savior for world capitalism, economic development has led to an inmense strengthening of the working class.