Abstract
This article examines what the development challenges are in South Korea by specifically analyzing the case of the Saemangeum land reclamation project from a critical approach to development. By exploring the state-led Saemangeum land reclamation project, which in the end adopted the rhetoric of sustainability, the article examines the impact of state development on the environment and community sustainability. It is shown how the traditional local knowledge of sustainable living has vanished, ironically through the ‘ecofriendly’ development project that supposedly recognizes the cultural space of the fishers and the way they relate to each other and nature. By observing the Saemangeum project, which demonstrates the existing development challenges in South Korea, the article questions how to reach a peaceful and sustainable future.
Highlights
To get out of the extreme misery and poverty principally caused by the civil war (1950-1953) after the Japanese colonization (1910-1945) of the peninsula, war-torn South Korea desperately applied a top-down development approach mainly led by the state authority
It seems that the development discourse, which is excessively obsessed with economic growth backed up by scientific technologies, is continuously repeated through different names, such as green growth or sustainable development
As the article has shown, the state-led Saemangeum reclamation project has destroyed the marine ecosystem and a sustainable local economy, which had operated on the basis of the local culture and traditions of living harmoniously with/within nature
Summary
To get out of the extreme misery and poverty principally caused by the civil war (1950-1953) after the Japanese colonization (1910-1945) of the peninsula, war-torn South Korea desperately applied a top-down development approach mainly led by the state authority. In an effort to maintain control, the power of big capitalist enterprises and corporate groups continues to evolve by adopting new alternative ideas to maintain their influence, which has been demonstrated through the process of the Saemangeum project To sum up, it seems that the development discourse, which is excessively obsessed with economic growth backed up by scientific technologies, is continuously repeated through different names, such as green growth or sustainable development. Under the logic of capitalistic sustainable development, it is inevitable to avoid the commodification of nature, and such a result would influence people, especially those who heavily depend on nature To illustrate this point, this article observes how the Saemangeum project, which adopted supposed eco-friendly gradual development, still brought about environmental degradation and destroyed the local traditional knowledge of sustainable and peaceful living. The qualitative research technique is used heavily based on a wide variety of secondary sources, including academic journals, books, and newspapers and so forth
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
