1. Saemaul Undong in Korea
Korean Experience of Rural Development
Chung Ki Whan, Ph.D.
president
Korea Institute for Rural Development

2. Least developed country in the world Pervasive with hunger & poverty
Korean Experience
In the 1950s:
Least developed country in the world
Pervasive with hunger & poverty
1945: Liberated from Japanese colony
1948: Separated into Two Koreas
1950: Korean War (3 years)
Korean war destroyed almost everything and therefore, Korean people had to start from the ashes

3. Hunger & Poverty were icon of the period
Korean Experience
In the 1960s:
Hunger & Poverty were icon of the period
Alcohol & gambling were pervasive
People were desperate for the future
Depended on outside help
Overcome hunger & poverty, and achieve rural development were the most important issue for the country

4. Korean Experience
In the 2000s:
One of advanced industrialized Countries in the world
OECD member
15th of World Trade Volume
Within 50 years, Korea transferred from agrarian society to industrialized society, and information society

5. overcame Hunger & poverty achieved such a high development
Korean Experience
How Korean people
overcame Hunger & poverty
and
achieved such a high development
within a short period?

6. Initial Condition of Korean Economy
Poor industrial capital
Low industrial technology
Poor natural resources
Purely agriculture based economy with sufficient human resource

7. Economic Development Strategy
Labor intensive
Export oriented
Urban/industry oriented
Growth first

8. Major Economic Indicators
1960
1970
1990
2000
2005
GDP growth rate
2.3
10.0
9.5
8.5
4.0
GDP/capita 85
250
5,210
10,841
16,700
Industrial
Structure
Agriculture
36.0
26.0
8.7
4.9
3.3
Manufacturing
14.7
22.5
29.8
28.8
SOC
49.3
50.9
61.5
65.3
67.9
Investment ratio to GDP
11.6
26.3
37.1
33.0
Domestic saving ratio to GDP
5.0
14.8
36.2
32.3
30.2
Population growth rate
2.9
1.9
1.0
0.8
0.44
Export(billion US$)
0.03
0.84
65.0
172.3
280.0
Import (billion US$)
0.34
1.98
69.8
160.5
255.5

9. Rural Situation in Korea in the 1960s
GNP/capita : US$ 87 (1962)
Poor infrastructure
Car accessible villages: 60%
Electricity accessible villages: 20%
Repeated natural disasters
Low agricultural productivity
Rural poverty ratio in 1967: 34% in absolute term
Rural Development was an urgent Issue for poverty alleviation
Introduced Saemaul Undong(SU) in 1970

10. SU Performance: 1971~1981 Total US$ 7,203.2 Million Invested
Government invested 51%
Community people invested 49%
- 64,686km of rural road were developed
- 6,187km of rural road paved
- 82,596 new bridges were built
- 39,231 community halls were built
- 258,000 houses were newly built
- 3,047 villages were reconstructed
Poverty reduced from 34% to 6% during
International communities have questions
“How and Why people participated in SU so enthusiastically?”

11. How was it possible?
Based on community tradition working through self- help & cooperation among community people
Immediate goal of SU is to improve individual living condition, which motivate people to participate
Strong government sponsorship to motivate , participate, and to change attitude & awareness for the rural development

12. Definition Saemaul Undong: New Village Movement
a rural community development movement
For the betterment of Living Conditions
through
Income, Infrastructure, Living Environment, Community Building
in the ways of
Self-help and Cooperation
under the
Government Sponsorship

13. Goals Immediate goal is to improve the living condition of individual
in the way of self-help and cooperation
with community resources & outside support
Ultimate goal is to build a better and sound community by community people, which bring the country strong

14. Spiritual Enlightenment
Means
Income Increase
Self-help
&
Cooperation
Improve Living
Environments
Infrastructure
Building
Spiritual Enlightenment
&
Social Interaction

15. What kinds of Projects? Community beautification
Easy to show the evidence of improvement
Meet the people’s needs

16. Housing
Amenity & Comfortability
Living conveniences

17. Kitchen, toilet & bathroom Conveniences & energy saving
Clean & sanitized

20. Infrastructure building
Increase agricultural productivity, prevent natural disasters
Provide conveniences for daily living

21. Income generating project in the 1970s

22. Income generating project in the 2000s

23. Strategies Village Community as Development Unit
Government Initiating Bottom-up Approach
Integrated Approach
Comprehensive Approach
More Support for the Better Performance
Mutual Learning

24. 1. Village Community as Development Unit
Village as a Community
Social interaction & commonalities
Administrative unit
Planning & Development unit

25. Economic Affordability Social Norms for Cooperation and Self-help
2. Bottom-up Approach
Bottom - Up Approach
(The Continuity of Development Process)
(People’s Participation based on Community Autonomy)
Bottom-up Approach
Village Community
Felt Needs for
Development
Develop Projects
By Village People
Implementation
The SU
Economic Affordability
People’s Empowerment
Leadership
Social Organizations
Social Norms for Cooperation and Self-help

26. Government Initiating Bottom-up Approach
Top-Down Approach
Government Policy
Supporting Measure
(Subsidy, Training,
Supervising)
Providing motivation for getting felt needs & sustainability
Community Bottom - Up Approach
(The Continuity of Development Process)
(People’s Participation based on Community Autonomy)
Village Community
Felt Needs for
Development
Develop Projects
By Village People
Implementation
The SU

27. 3. Integrated Approach for the SMU Program
National Policy
for the SMU Program
Supporting Measure
(Financial, Training, R&D Administrative Support,
Institutional Renovation)
SMU Action Plan
(Community Level)

28. 4. Comprehensive Approach
 Agriculture development
 Non-agriculture development
 Agricultural Production Infrastructure
 Social Infrastructure
 Housing
 Building Community Center
 Community Beautification
 House Cleaning & Beautification
 Renovation of Community Institutions
 Vitalization of Community Festivals
 Supporting Youth Activities
 Drinking Water Supply
 Kitchen Improvement
 Toilet/ Bathroom Improvement
Income Generation
Infrastructure Building
Saemaul Uudong
Community Building
Socio-Cultural
Development
Health &
Sanitation

29. 5. Support More for Better Performance
Support more for the better performed community
Reward villages leaders for the success
Increase subsidy for the better performance
Reduce subsidy for poor performance and let them bench marking the successful villages
Continuous support until the community reaches to the level of self-reliance & empowerment

30. 6. Mutual Learning Saemaul Undong training: learning from others
Ministers, government officials, professors, and community leaders
Lecturing & discussions
Spiritual Enlightenment

31. Methodology: How implement SU in a community?
1. How to initiate Saemaul Undong?
2. What kinds of Projects?
3. How to mobilize resources?
4. How to organize people?
5. How to build leadership?
6. How to formulate action plan, implement and Monitoring?

32. How to initiate?
Provide motivation to participate in SU & to do something
Financial support
Training & education
Study tour for bench marking
Let them discuss community problems & development needs
Community autonomy & operational mechanism
Self-help & cooperative

33. How to initiate? Start from easy projects
Community beautification & infrastructure building
Income increase
Provide incentives for better/good performances
More support for better performances
Recognitions & rewards

34. Initiation of Saemaul Undong in 1970
Government provided supporting measures
(Training, financial & administrative support/technical support )
Distribute 350 bags of cements & ½ ton of steels.
Ask to do with this materials for each community
Induced motivation/development needs/ Participation/ mobilization/empowerment
Problem Identification/Action Plan/Implementation/Evaluation

35. How to mobilize resources?
1. Community contribution
Based on Community autonomy & operational mechanism
Self-help & cooperation
The more for the richer & the less for the poorer
2. Government financial support
Based on community needs
Provide financial support when they prepare matching fund
No free launch
3. Other sources
NGOs
Companies based on rural community
Others

36. How to organize people? Utilize existing organizations
Revitalize existing community organizations
Let them work by themselves
Make the objective clear
Community General Council
Farmer’s Union/club
Women’s Union /club
Youth Club
Irrigation Association
Agricultural Cooperative
Interest Groups
Others………
Organize community development committee, in case,
Existing organizations are not working properly
Conflicts among existing organizations
There is no proper community organization

37. How to build SU leadership?
1. SU leadership vs administrative leadership
Prime leader must be community administrative leadership
Elect Saemaul leaders: male & female leaders
Authorize the new leadership by the local government
SU leaders must be the members of community development committee
2. Role of SU leaders
Launching SU projects in the collaboration of existing leaders
Train other leaders
3. Reward SU leaders by government
Reward for good performances
Utilize the leaders to train other leaders

38. How to formulate action plan?
1. Analyze community problems and identifying development needs
2. Formulate action plan for each project
Problem identification & find alternatives
Set goals
Find means & strategies
Plan for resources mobilization
Work schedule

39. Lessons from Korean Case
Strong political Commitment for the future induced community people to participate
Community tradition of self-help & cooperation was the back-born of SU
Rapid industrial development contribute to facilitate & support rural development

40. Evaluation of SU in Korea
Physical Infrastructure Development
Improved rural infrastructure & living environments
Farm income increase
Spiritual Enhancement
Can Do spirits
Community initiative and capacity building
Institutional Development
Partnership between local government and community people
Democracy in Grassroots community and local government
Capacity building for local government officials

41. Thank You