Political Stability in an Industrializing Culture: Shifting Forms of State Legitimacy in South Korea

Abstract

The underlying purpose and role of political protest in South Korea has significantly shifted over the past few years as that country moved away from decades of authoritarian rule. Industrializa tion of culture has contributed greatly to the redefinition of state legitimacy. One result of this industrialization has been a change in the discourse used by opposition politicians in their appeals to the South Korean citizenry. The radical sentiments and anti capitalist rhetoric used by opposition politicians of the 1960s and 1970s have lost their attractions and are being replaced with ideals that embrace capitalist industrialization and endorse increased consumption of material goods.