Позитивные изменения. Том 2, №4 (2022). Positive changes. Volume 2, Issue 4 (2022)

“Modernization of the village through the modernization of consciousness” was the call of Saemaul Undong, or the “new village movement.” A government program that began in the 1970s with actions that were, at first glance, very simple, has grown into a nationwide movement that still exists in the country today. “The Spirit of Saemaul,” according to experts, has become an inspirational story for many state campaigns in which the main element is the idea of residents coming together to create a common good and prosperity. It has also become an inspiration to the more than one hundred rural areas around the world that are introducing the “new village movement” based on the Saemaul International Center in our time.

Natalia Gladkikh

PhD in Psychology, Leading Expert, Centre for Technological Innovations, Institute of Social and Economic Design at the Higher School of Economics

Karina Chistiakova

HSE Lyceum

THE SOUTH KOREAN MIRACLE

The Saemaul movement, unlike other programs of Park Chung-hee, the president of the Republic of Korea under whom the country brought the legendary “Miracle on the Han River” to the world, is not as popular as a subject of research interest. However, just like the unprecedented growth of the country's economy (the average annual income of the population rose from $87 per person in 1962 to $4,830 in 1989[86]), the success of the “new village movement” is attributed by researchers both to the historical era, conditions of that time, cultural specifics of the country, and the personality of Park Chung-hee himself (Reed, 2010). All of these factors seem to suggest that such a transformation is unlikely to be of interest in today's world. Meanwhile, the legacy of the Saemaul movement goes far beyond the usual historical phenomenon. It is a program that has succeeded over the past several decades in inspiring people in rural areas around the world to repeat South Korea's “success story.”

The symbolism, like the name Saemaul Undong itself, is a reflection of the concept and key features of the initiative — each element of the name has multiple meanings. Literally, the program translates from Korean as “movement for a new village” (Saemaul Undong; 새마을운동; 새 — new, 마을 — village, 운동 — movement), but there is a deeper meaning: 새 also means “blossom,” “modernization.” The three-petal sprout depicted on the initiative's flag symbolizes the three key components of the project: hard work, cooperation, and self-help, which are the foundation of the program, while the yellow circle represents the well-being that will result from its implementation. Green, the color of nature, signifies the ecological revolution that took place during Saemaul Undong (Kim, 2012).

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

To begin with, let us consider what the “New Village Movement” was like at its inception. It all started in 1971, when the state promoted the free distribution of 335 bags of cement to every village so that the locals would try to change the appearance of their areas with their own efforts. This strategy was later upgraded to a policy of “we help those who can help themselves”: a declaration of competition between villages for more funding from the state. Thus, if the village, using only the basic resources provided, is able to improve the standard of living on its own, to effectively carry out the modernization of its territories, it receives even greater support from the state. Accordingly, territories were divided into three classes: underdeveloped, developing, and developed.

However, it is precisely the financial support that is the least important element of Saemaul Undong, which would clearly be insufficient to get the results achieved. In 1972, the Saemaul Undong Training Center was established.

The legacy of the Saemaul movement goes far beyond the usual historical phenomenon and inspires people in rural areas around the world.