From Sweatshop to Fashion Shop: Korean Immigrant Entrepreneurship in the Argentine Garment Industry

Abstract

Since the beginning of Korean migration to Argentina in the 1960s, Korean immigrants in Argentina have massively been involved in the garment industry. Nevertheless, despite the decades-long concentration of Korean Argentines in the same sector, the motivations behind their involvement and the types and styles of their businesses have been reshaped over time through the twists and turns of the host country’s junctures.
Applying rigorous immigrant entrepreneurship theories, yet wary of orthodoxies, the author examines the intriguing paths which Korean entrepreneurs have taken to develop their businesses in the Argentine garment industry amidst complex, frantically volatile social and economic circumstances, and argues for the application of a new approach that combines existing theories with historically contextual perspectives.
Unlike those of their North American counterparts, the history, settlement, and current status of Korean immigrants in Latin America have been notoriously under-examined. Thus, this unique case-study on Korean immigrant entrepreneurship in Latin America substantially contributes to bridging the gap between the North and the South and represents a significant milestone in the fields of both migration and Korean studies.