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Korean society, under the Kingdom of Joseon, initiates a slow transformation towards modernization, influenced by Western and Japanese civilization. Japan, overthrew the 500-year dynasty in 1910. The Japanese colonial rule lasted 36 years.

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Korea gains independence but is immediately followed by foreign occupation - the U.S. military administration in the south and the Soviet Union in the north. leading to the division of the Korean peninsula.

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The two Korean states enter into a three-year war, which ends with an armistice.

South Korea is left impoverished, with a Gross National Income (GNI) of only $67 per capita in 1953.

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The Liberal Government of President Syngman Rhee faces mass resistance from citizens and steps down after student demonstrations in April 1960. A Democrat Government is elected but does not last even a year.

In 1961, General Park Chung Hee, a former Japanese army officer, stages a military coup, overthrowing the government.

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The industrialization, urbanization, and economic expansion of the South Korea ocurred

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The Miracle of Han River

The Fiver Year Economic Development Plan was created to pursue economic development. Projects under this plan focused on export-oriented and outward-looking industrialization.

By promoting domestic companies over foreign direct investment, the government upheld a protectionist stance toward global trade and a nationalist stance toward industrialization. Later, the government-sponsored local companies developed into chaebol, the Korean equivalent of conglomerates.

The industrialization of South Korea was seen as a successful model for developing countries, with its economic growth attributed to factors like export-oriented policies, education emphasis, and stable macroeconomic policies. This approach was referred to as the 'East Asian model' and praised as the 'East Asian miracle' by international organizations like the World Bank for its balanced intervention in the economy.

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Between 1963 and 1985, the number of wage workers in South Korea increased by 335%, with a significant shift from agriculture to manufacturing, resulting in the rapid decline of rural communities and a decrease in relative income for farming households. Government policies such as low grain prices for urban workers further exacerbated the income disparity, while repressive regimes limited freedom of expression and thought.

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South Korea's government promoted both temporary and permanent emigration of workers as part of its development strategies, with temporary labor migration contributing to economic growth through worker remittances and construction company earnings. Many workers who went to countries like West Germany were attracted by higher wages, while some chose to stay or relocate permanently, initiating collective efforts to challenge the temporary labor migration system.

South Korean workers in West Germany were instrumental in ending the temporary labor migration system, while those sent to the Middle East returned home due to similar working conditions in both countries.

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The US became a major destination for South Korean migrants after the removal of the national-origins quota system in 1965. This migration included a "new middle class" settling in the US and international students, whose presence influenced academia but faced criticism for "intellectual colonization" in South Korean society.

Throughout this period, South Korea was a source of migration to various destinations, driven by government-promoted emigration for economic growth and population control.

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Exploiting low-wage workers in poor conditions has been a constant underpinning of South Korea's economic growth, persisting into its high-income status

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South Korea had an abundant supply of labor, resulting in a problematic employment situation for workers. Workers then were easily replaceable, faced threats of dismissal, and had little protection from exploitative employment practices. The government's authoritarian policies, including the dismantling of trade unions and restrictions on labor rights, increased the vulnerability of workers. Long working hours were also common, particularly in labor-intensive industries like textiles and electronics.

According to a survey conducted at Guro Industrial Complex, the majority of workers received approximately 100,000 Korean Won as their income, which was only about one-third of the national average.

The involvement of students and religious groups in the labor movement begins in response to the workers' desperate resistance. Students recognize the importance of solidarity between students and workers for challenging the authoritarian regimes

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The South Korean migration literature has often overlooked immigration before the 1990s, but two early migrant arrival cases are highlighted.

The first involved Chinese migrants in the late 19th century seeking business opportunities amidst colonial intrusions, while the second featured Vietnamese "boat people" in the late 1970s and 1980s seeking asylum.

These cases reveal the exclusionary and discriminatory origins of South Korean immigration policies, reflecting the dominance of "ethnic nationalism" in the organization of South Korean society, and provide historical context for understanding current immigration policies.

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Pre-neoliberal South Korean migration policies serve as a guide to current policies, with ethnic nationalism persisting as a dominant political ideology, even as anti-communism waned. However, there is a transition from the "developmental state" to the "neoliberal state."

Submitted by:

Frances Marielle A. Nicolas

2023120146

November 02, 2023

Social Change Assignment Summary

Topic 1: Chapter 4 of Kim