Labor representatives insist that there are alternatives to firing workers. To the government, that is just wishful thinking. Time is running out. Indeed it is, and it is reasonable to ask why action has not been taken sooner. Resistance from labor is one factor.
Regionalism is another.
The Pupyong plant is situated in Kyonggi province near the port city of Inchon. According to analysts, nearly half of the blue-collar population in Inchon hail from the southwestern Cholla provinces, Kim Dae Jung's home base. Moreover, both the mayor of Inchon and the governor of Kyonggi are from his ruling party. But the problem is national as well. The government hasn't provided the political leadership necessary to make difficult economic changes.