Inside Myongdong Cathedral, workers pray for guidance. In skirmishes with riot police, students and workers pelt the lines with balls of rubbish. As they run hurling abuse, the police spray clouds of tear gas in their faces. In tents set up outside the Cathedral, militant trade union leaders plan their protest campaign. Sitting cross-legged, the President of the outlawed Confederation of Trade Unions questions the lack of democracy in the present labour system. A former student leader from 1987 protests mourns the death of his friend. He says, "Compared with the sacrifices of our youth, the results we have now are too few." As the government backs big business and gleaming skyscrapers, President Kim Young-Sam refuses to acknowledge that he has been heavy handed. His spokesman maintains. "I do not think it was a mistake or unjust". Workers admit that South Korea has economic problems, but complain that the burden of change is not evenly shared. This report includes a profile of a union representative from a Hyundai factory.

Produced by ABC Australia