Hmmm...what does "Made in Korea" mean?

[Inazone]

I was reading this article about South Korea's aid to North Korea - http://www.startribune.com/world/17036151.html - and found one section particularly interesting:

"The new policy also slows a bold economic effort that South Korea pursued in the past decade: building South Korean factories in North Korea, where the companies that own them can use cheap North Korean labor to survive competitive pressures from China."

How long before instrument manufacturers start moving across the border? Maybe they already have. I guess it shouldn't matter if the workers can build quality products, but I always thought that quite a few people objected to buying Chinese products because 1) they mass-produce stuff using cheap labor under questionable conditions, and 2) are Communist. I always assumed that something made in Korea was made in South Korea, but who can say for sure?

[Spivonious]

Very interesting. I think in a few years it won't matter anyway, since the cost to produce things in China is going up. That's why you see major companies moving their production to Vietnam, Indonesia, India, etc.

[JacksonDean]

Really, what difference does it make?
You didn't know the difference before, so is it really going to bother you now?

[VinceV]

How does that even work? North Korea is pretty much cut off from the rest of the world. How do South Korean companies build and get supplies in and out of North Korea?

[Inazone]

Really, what difference does it make?
You didn't know the difference before, so is it really going to bother you now?

Well, as I pointed out above:

I always thought that quite a few people objected to buying Chinese products because 1) they mass-produce stuff using cheap labor under questionable conditions, and 2) are Communist.

The same would likely be true of North Korean products. Given the number of products made in (South?) Korea, including big-ticket items like cars, I just that people probably want to know where their money is going. If that wasn't true, there wouldn't be so much hype about "Made in USA" either.

[Jason1212]

I would think trade embargos between the US and North Korea would prevent this for guitar manufacturing. Labor in China is starting to get more expensive. I know first hand that companies are starting to build plants elsewhere (like Vietnam) to keep the flow of cheap labor going. As far as what difference does it make? It makes a lot of difference in the quality. In a country where people make near nothing, are forced to pay the company where they work for medical expenses, food, and lodging in many cases the products can be all over the map in regards to quality. Outside of that from a humanitarian perspective I don’t feel too good about buying things manufactured in country that lives on the backs of its people. I avoid buying things made in communist countries when ever possible, but as we all know often it is impossible to do that.

[JacksonDean]

The same would likely be true of North Korean products. Given the number of products made in (South?) Korea, including big-ticket items like cars, I just that people probably want to know where their money is going. If that wasn't true, there wouldn't be so much hype about "Made in USA" either.

Okay, that I see; but if you didn't know beforehand that your money was going indirectly to North Korea, it doesn't diminish the quality of whatever item you're talking about does it?

[yard dawg]

North Korea,South Korea,China, Vietnam blah blah blah .. GATT ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wait until they start using africa cheap labor. It'll be funny to see the asians whining about the africans stealing there jobs haha.

[Inazone]

Okay, that I see; but if you didn't know beforehand that your money was going indirectly to North Korea, it doesn't diminish the quality of whatever item you're talking about does it?

And like I said in my original post:

I guess it shouldn't matter if the workers can build quality products

I wouldn't settle for a product of poor quality in the first place, but personally I'd rather avoid buying things from North Korea or China for the reasons stated above. China's lax safety and environmental restrictions, combined with the inherently low wages in a Communist country and non-existent patent enforcement have allowed companies like Behringer to put out subpar rip-offs at absurdly low prices, and I can't see how North Korea will be any different.

It may very well be that none of the North Korean "outsourced" products will ever make it out to the rest of the world, but it's surprising to hear this is going on just between the North and South.

[JacksonDean]

And like I said in my original post:



I wouldn't settle for a product of poor quality in the first place, but personally I'd rather avoid buying things from North Korea or China for the reasons stated above. China's lax safety and environmental restrictions, combined with the inherently low wages in a Communist country and non-existent patent enforcement have allowed companies like Behringer to put out subpar rip-offs at absurdly low prices, and I can't see how North Korea will be any different.

It may very well be that none of the North Korean "outsourced" products will ever make it out to the rest of the world, but it's surprising to hear this is going on just between the North and South.

My apologies.. I read (maybe I should say "looked at") your post twice and didn't see that line. Sorry, dude.

In several ways, I agree with you; it'll make me think twice about buying stuff from Korea, perhaps in the future.

[skorb]

yeah you know those world-reknowned North Korean commie luthiers....

[emperor_black]

We should be concerned because the quality WILL suffer. the reason quality suffers is because there's a lot of cheap manual labor available in the asian countries. If one company (OEM manufacturer as its called) said "I will produce 100 guitar necks for you in 2 days", another company will try to match that and try to produce 100 guitar necks in 1 1/2 days. So, definitely quality will suffer. It all depends on how good the QC in the parent company is. Ibanez's Made in Korea guitars used to be so good. But lately for the same price, they are getting these indonesian guitars and they suck in quality like CharvelRocker experienced.

[Trem]

actually, i have a 99 dollar wallmart fender starcaster made in china, that besides the electronics, is pretty damn solid guitar.
it feels great, it's pretty heavy and has a nice just tank feel to it, and has more resonance than any of my jacksons. i play it unplugged and it sustains longer than any of my other guitars, and is much louder with thick bass and very slinky highs, really it's funny for the price, has a srv style neck i think with a hard strip up the back, stays in tune under heavy bends, it's my woodchop couch twanger, and i love it. i almost just bought a strat pickguard loaded with seymore actives for the thing, but someone bid outta my range, slap that on this thing all it needs.

99 bucks. no shit.