Social Conflicts and Hegemonic Articulation on the Saemangeum Reclamation Project in South Korea

Abstract

The South Korean government planned for the Saemangeum reclamation project to spark development in the North of Jeolla Province (NJP), it triggered vicious social conflicts that lasted for more than two decades since its inception in 1991. The impact o the project extended across ecological and social dimensions of Korean society at large, while also significantly affecting local communities in NJP. Regional or national stakeholders participated in the resultant social conflicts, and sought their particular political, economic and ecological interests within the context of a dynamic social and political context. This paper examines the reason why the project commenced and why it persists even in the face of such a socially combative environment, connecting social forces with development orientation and environmentalism. And then this paper discusses the social and ecological implications for more ecological and democratic development in Korea.