KoreaToday New Community Movement Inspires 72 Countries
By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter
North Gyeongsang Province prides itself on being the birthplace of a post-war rural development campaign, called the Saemaeul Movement, initiated by the late President Park Chung-hee in 1970.
Koreans have considered it one of main the achievements of nearly two decades of authoritarian rule by Park, who hails from the southeastern, or Yeongnam region, according to a recent survey.
Ahead of an international exhibition which will take place in the industrial city of Gumi, near Daegu, Governor Kim Kwan-yong has been publicizing the Korean model for transforming the farming sector in developing countries.
UN's Saemaeul Promotion
Governor Kim finds the reason for the movement's global relevance in the values of can-do spirit, self-help, cooperation and diligence the campaign inspired, particularly at a time when Korea was desperately struggling with poverty.
The 67-year-old met up with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last week in Seoul and discussed ways to promote the development efforts of African member nations through sharing Korean experiences in implementing the program.
The National Council of Saemaeul Movement in Korea is a member of the U.N. Department of Public Information (UNDPI) and the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
``My province is a leader in initiating and globalizing a '21st-century version' of the movement. We have been conducting education for numerous foreign civil servants every year," the governor said.
What started out as a rural rehabilitation program soon spread into cities in the 1980s and turned into a national movement and a symbol of modernization.
Led by civilian leadership since the 1990s, it is now a movement of harmony and unity of community, taking part in environment protection, volunteering, inter-Korean reconciliation and international aid programs.
To expand the movement in Africa, the governor proposed the establishment of a joint committee for supporting the African fight against poverty through the Saemaeul Movement.
``I think such a committee, composed of experts from Gyeongsang Province and relevant organizations from the United Nations, will be useful in achieving the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)," Kim added.
Ban has said that Rwanda is the African country that is most interested in adopting the program, along with many other regional neighbors, such as Congo, Tanzania and Uganda.
During previous visits to the continent, Ban urged African nations to benchmark the practices and spirit of the Korean campaign in their fight against poverty.
Impact on 72 Countries
According to the provincial administration, around 40,000 public officials and agricultural experts from more than 70 countries have participated in training courses at Saemaeul-related agencies and local government institutions.
Underdeveloped countries in Africa and Asia ― China and Vietnam, in particular ― are experimenting with the movement, aimed at closing the growing development gap between urban and rural areas by funding basic infrastructure in the countryside.
Late former President Park thought that such a nationwide campaign was essential to lift rural Koreans out of destitution after the 1950-53 Korean War while the urban areas were undergoing rapid industrialization.
Ultimately, the movement sought to transform Korean villages into "Saemaeul," which literally translates to ``new community," through improving infrastructure and bringing modernized facilities such as water systems, bridges and roads to rural communities.
2009 Saemaeul Exhibition
As the birthplace of the movement, North Gyeongsang Province will hold the Saemaeul Exhibition from Sept. 19-23, the first of its kind to take place in the country.
In July, the governor was in China to publicize the event for Chinese civil servants and students at Tsinghua University, Beijing.
China has been the most forthcoming country in Asia to adapt the Saemaeul program to battle its increasing gulf between rural and urban incomes and improve the lives of farmers that still constitute a large portion of its population.
In 2006, the Chinese government announced that it will send over 30,000 civil servants to Korea over the next three years for relevant training.
Chinese President Hu Jintao and ranking officials from 31 provinces and cities have studied the movement.
``I believe that the Saemaeul spirit is consistent with Chinese leader Hu's ardent drive to rehabilitate its rural areas. The exhibition will be a great learning experience, especially for young people, who are relatively ignorant of the movement," Kim said at a lecture in the Chinese capital.
Officials projected that the event will attract around 300,000 participants from home and abroad.
Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and nine other organizations, the event will consist of exhibitions chronicling the history and globalization of the movement, lectures and international seminars, among others.
Saemaeul Villages Abroad
Currently, there are 14 villages in Vietnam, East Timor and the Philippines, among others, modeled after the Korean example. Each year, Korean volunteers visit them and provide support with building roads, waterways, schools, medical centers and other essential facilities.
In Russia, Korea has set up Saemaeul centers for operating education programs for personal computer training, farming and renovation expertise.
Japan and Korea share a 17-year partnership in coordination exchange programs for community development.