A young garment worker set himself on fire on November 13, 1970 in protest of the deplorable working conditions in the Pyeonghwa Market sewing factories. Jeon Tae-il was poor and lacked formal education, but he knew that the garment workers were mistreated and was convinced that the labor situations in Korea had to improve. His determination and ultimate sacrifice forced Korean society to take action and the nation's first labor union was launched on November 27, just two weeks after his death. The fiery suicide of Jeon Tae-il in 1970 will long be remembered as the beginning and symbol of Korea’s labor movement.
