The General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea (GFTUK; ) is the sole legal

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...

federation in

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

. GFTUK was formed on November 30, 1945 as the General Federation of Trade Unions of North Korea. In January 1951, it was reorganized and adopted its current name. The chairman of the central committee of GFTUK is Pak In-chol.

Organization

, GFTUK has 1.6 million members, down from more than 2.4 million in the 1970s. During the Cold War, its membership was about half of the membership of the ruling

Workers' Party of Korea The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is the founding and sole ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea. Founded in 1949 from the merger of the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party ...

(WPK). The ratio was comparatively low for a socialist country, evidencing the relatively unimportant role of unions in North Korea, which was one of the most industrialized socialist countries. Nevertheless, GFTUK was considered one of the most important

mass organization A mass movement denotes a political party or movement which is supported by large segments of a population. Political movements that typically advocate the creation of a mass movement include the ideologies of communism, fascism, and liberalism. Bo ...

s in the country. All workers of 30 years of age are required to be members of GFTUK if they are not members of WPK, the

Union of Agricultural Workers of Korea The Union of Agricultural Workers of Korea (UAWK; or Korean Federation of Agricultural Workers) is a trade union and mass organization for agricultural workers in North Korea. It is one of the most important mass organizations in the country. UA ...

, or the

Socialist Women's Union of Korea The Socialist Women's Union of Korea (; formerly the Korean Democratic Women's Union, KDWU; ) is a mass organization for Women in North Korea, women in North Korea. Founded in 1945 as the North Korea Democratic Women's League, it is the oldest a ...

. Domestically, GFTUK is a member of the

popular front A popular front is "any coalition of working-class and middle-class parties", including liberal and social democratic ones, "united for the defense of democratic forms" against "a presumed Fascist assault". More generally, it is "a coalition ...

Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland The Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea, also known as the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland (DFRF) or the Fatherland Front, is a North Korean popular front formed on 22 July 1946 and led by the Workers' Part ...

. Internationally, the Federation is affiliated to the

World Federation of Trade Unions The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade unions established in 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the International Federation o ...

, which it joined on May 2, 1947. The unions of GFTUK are affiliated to the various branch organizations of WFTU. The head of the international department of GFTUK is Im Jong-gi. The website of the Korean Friendship Association states that "(The GFTUK) conducts ideological education to ensure its members fully understand the Juche idea and gets them to take part in socialist construction and the management of the socialist economy with the attitude befitting masters. It has its organizations in different branches of industry." However, the ''North Korea Handbook'' states that the GFTUK is not designed to serve its members but the WPK. GFTUK is directly controlled by the Central Committee of the WPK. '' Rodongja Sinmun'' is the organ of the Central Committee of GFTUK. Officially, the guiding ideology of the organization is Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism.

Former chairmen

* Ryom Sun-gil (2000s) * Ju Yong-gil (2010s) * Ju Yong-guk (2010s)

List of unions affiliated to GFTUK

GFTUK has two types of trade unions, the ones in state enterprises and the ones in private enterprises. The following trade unions, representing nine different industries, comprise GFTUK: * Trade Union of Metal and Engineering Industries of Korea * Trade Union of Mining and Power Industries of Korea * Trade Union of Light and Chemical Industries of Korea * Trade Union of Public Employees and Service Workers of Korea *

Trade Union of Construction and Forestry Workers of Korea Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct exchan ...

Trade Union of Educational and Cultural Workers of Korea Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct exchan ...

Trade Union of Transport and Fisheries Workers of Korea Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct excha ...

Organization

Former chairmen

List of unions affiliated to GFTUK

See also

References

Works cited

Further reading