Compressed Modernization& Developmentalist Mentalités

of South Korea

Kang Myungkoo

What is compressed modernization?

• Rapid economic growth• Rapid modernization (urbanization,

industrialization, democratization, formation of civil society, etc)

• From the state to everyday life, Korean society and people have experienced drastic changes.

Compressed modernization(2)

• From poverty to affluence• From authoritarian state to

democratic consolidation• Expansion of civil society• Drastic urbanization

Why developmentalist mentalitae?

• Korean people share common ways of life, ways of thinking, ways of behavior or structure of feelings, called developmentalist mentalitae.

• What is it?• Strong desire of being rich without asking why I want

to be rich, what kind of life I want to live through• Final results legitimize process. • Efficiency tells everything. Top-down, authoriatarian

decision-making process is prevalent. • Lack of civic virtues• Always be ready for struggling to win the game

Where does the developmentalist mentalitae come from?

• Colonial rule and Korean war• Authoritarian state• Uncertainty of living• Competition as a matter of life and death• Experience of poverty and affluence in one

generation

Rapid Economic Growth

Rapid Growth

Rapid Growth

International Monetary Fund, International Financial Statistics

Behind the Scenes -Economic growth was accomplished mostly through governmental favors given to conglomerates, or chaebol.

-Government favoritism: government actively suppressed any group that might disadvantage conglomerates, such as new competitors or labor unions

-Result: rampant nepotism, authoritarian business culture, lack of public ethics, economic polarization

Key Components WithinKorean Mentalitae

• Favoritism • Materialistic Value System• Nationalism (“our” country—“uri”)• Closed-minded familism

Favoritism• Favoritism: A display of partiality toward a

favored person or group. Examples: Nepotism and cronyism

Us (uri 우리 ) VS Them mentality• A person’s bloodline, hometown, school, &

church can greatly affect his/her public and private life.

• Examples: employment, career, business, socio-economic class, marriage, friends

• Result: Corruption

The Chaebol: A Family Business

The Chaebol: A Family Business

Corruption Perceptions Index 2010

The High Price of Corruption

Seong-soo Bridge, 1994

Sampoong Department Store, 1995

Wawoo Apartment, 1969

Materialistic Value System• Materialistic person: a person who is markedly more

concerned with material things (such as money and possessions) rather than spiritual, emotional, intellectual, or cultural values.

• Contributing factors: rapid industrialization, high competition, homogeneity, weak social safety net

• Objectifying and commodifying every aspects of life, including the body, academic prowess, marriage partners, success

Reuters/Ipsos Poll 2010Koreans are the most materialistic people?

The Most Overworked People

World Happiness Index

Stressed-out

Korean Nationalism:The Red Devils

Korean Nationalism:Dokdo

Korean Nationalism:Multicultural Family

The Family in Korean Dramas:Secret Garden

The Family in Korean Dramas:My Name is Kim Sam-soon

Conclusion• Developmentalist mentalités combined with consumerism, Confucianism,

and the cold war state have molded and defined the mental and physical structure of every aspect of Korean life.

• Corrupt systems, scanty social safety nets, the absence of civil moral virtues, and the survival-driven high-stress competitiveness are a few of the negative aspects of Developmentalist mentalités.

• However, it is difficult to transcend developmentalist mentalités, being

deeply rooted within the very existence of Korea. The developmentalist mentalités is deeply rooted as a default perspective of the world within the government, enterprises, public organizations and family sectors.

• Ironically, Koreans’ obsession with “uri (us, we)” bind us to benefiting the in-group and ostracizing the rest, disabling a society were all of “us” can lead better lives.