<Abstract> Working Korea 2007 Korea Labour& Society Institute Twenty years have passed since the June People's Struggle for Democracy and the Great Workers Struggle of 1987 which paved the way for the advances in political democratization and labour movement in Korea. Ten years have passed since the financial crisis of 1997 which opened the flood gates of neoliberalism. In 1987 no one had doubted that"the advances in democratization and labour movement will bring about an improvement in the quality of life for workers and democracy at the workplaces". Since 1987 there have been increases in the real wage of workers and reduction in working hours, and reforms in the labour laws which had removed much of the repressive provisions that had violated the basic labour rights, and progress in the establishment of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and organization of industrial-sectoral trade unions. The achievements the labour movement had won since 1987, however, began to crumble one by one with the wave of labour market flexibilization and restructuring that were ushered in with the 1997 financial crisis. The rapid expansion of small and little­endowed businesses and explosion in irregular employment and discrimination led the way for worsening of quality of employment and the wealth/income distribution, bringing about the impoverishment of the life of ordinary workers. The trade union density has declined to the lowest level since 1970s and many have joined in sounding the warning of"democracy without labour" and"crisis of labour". Many people agree that the lives of ordinary workers have, since the financial crisis, worsened. However, most also think that the general conditions of life has, nevertheless, improved compared to the early 1980s before the advances in political democracy and labour movement introduced by the great struggles of 1987. This is the question: has the quality of life of ordinary workers improved compared to that twenty years ago? This 1