Urban-Rural Disparity in Socioeconomic and Demographic Changes in Korea, 1960-1970

Abstract

During the decade of 1960-1970, Korean society emerged from its earlier economic

stagnation and moved along the road of rapid economic development, largely due to the success of the First and Second Five Year Economic Plans. As a result, profound socioeconomic and demographic changes took place in both urban and rural areas, at a rate hitherto unknown in the history of Korea. Such changes, however, seem to have widened the already existing urban-rural disparity in socioeconomic and demographic statuses, resulting in a general concern among academicians and policy makers alike (Korean Sociological Association, 1969). Accordingly, many Korean researchers have in recent years analyzed urban-rural differences in such areas as the family (Choi, 1966; Lee, 1971), social structure and mobility (Lee and Kim, 1966), population dynamics (Chang, et. al., 1974; Kwon, et. al., 1975), economy and occupations (Korean Economic Research Institute, 1968), values (Hong, 1966), and voting behavior (Kim, et. al., 1973; Kim and Koh, 1972). Most of these studies, however, dealt with urban-rural disparity either tangentially or without using longitudinal data.