Saemaul Undong Sets Model for Developing Countries
By Andrei Lankov
If you ask a typical foreign resident of Korea whether he or she has ever heard of "Saemaul" (New Village, in Korean), the chances are that the name reminds him or her of a popular express train which connects major Korean cities. Few foreigners are aware that the train itself took its name from a major government-initiated campaign which changed the face of rural Korea in the 1970s. This campaign was known as "Saemaul Undong," literary meaning "New Village Movement."
President Park Chung-hee, who ruled the country with an iron fist in the years 1961 to 1979, had a mission to accomplish. He wanted to transform Korea, which in those times was just a dirt poor country, into a prosperous and successful nation - doing whatever it took to achieve this.
General Park believed in capitalism. But, contrary to the modern day neoliberal economic orthodoxy, he also believed in state intervention and guidance.
The first development programs, launched just after 1961, put an emphasis on industry. But in the early 1970s, Park and his administration "noticed" the Ko
Apr 16, 2010
