Just the perception of extracting a profit from the collective is sufficient to arouse the sleeping giant of the borg. You could describe the US military intervention in the same terms as above, except that there has been no net profit to the US. Still, the idea that somebody somewhere is profiting from Korea is enough to get the borg moving.

Investors are now worried that they’ll be treated as criminals if they turn a profit. I remember a Korean newspaper columnist (memory fails me on which one) writing “they took more money out of Korea than they brought in”, and laying it out like a criminal charge. I think many in the media here have a skewed understanding of what foreign investment is; they feel foreigners should come in, leave a bundle of cash, and head for the airport. Taking more money out than you bring in is an example of successful foreign investment - it means that the venture was profitable.

The other 30% is down to execs returning home after being in Korea, and reporting what a nightmare it is to do business, in comparison with Vietnam, China, Malaysia, etc.

Or is it also because Korea’s troubles go well beyond the heads-up-their-arses unions. Could it be the overall protest culture, the inability of Koreans to cooperate or negotiate fairly with non-Koreans, the demand for unfettered access to foreign markets while building countless barriers to deny foreigners access to Korea, or maybe the rest of the world cannot understand how a nation and race so convinced of their superiority can at the same time endlessly play the victim card when things don’t go their way. Perhaps foreign investors are wary of dealing with an irrational nation and public who are more frightened of a hamburger than of a lunatic sitting a few kilometres north who has countless artillery and maybe nuclear weapons pointed at them.

Unions are the biggest problem hindering Korea’s competitiveness. There’s only one solution for the unions - a complete liquidation of their organizations. Something like what Ronald Reagan did in 1981 against the air traffic controller’s strike would be nice. Reagan fired all the strikers and hired eager non unions who were willing to work. Korean government should also do the same thing if those government workers go on strike. Fire them all and hire non union workers. One of the first government targets should be the KTU. Get rid of them all if they go on strike.

As for the clueless private sectors like the Hyundai Motor company and what they can do to fight the union.. maybe bring in Hyundai assembly workers from factories abroad and give them Korean wages. And fire those worthless Korean workers who decide to go on strike.