Vanguards and Violence: A Comparison of the U.S. and Korean Student Movements

Abstract

At first glance, U.S. students during the 1960s and Korean students during the 1980s seem to have little in common. Yet across generations, across cultures, and across political histories, the two student movements share much: in their demographic and sociological origins, in their ambition to transform society, and in their parallels to a model of student movements that emphasizes generational conflict. However, the two student movements diverge in other ways: in levels of violence and repression, in longevity, and in their final goals. The differences are, in the end, more profound than their similarities, but they help explain the place of the Korean movement and hint at its prospects. And since students play such a major role in Korean politics, they say something about the country's future as well.