This paper mostly analyzed and forecasted in what kind of shape Korean society has been formed and developed and by some chance its standing has been established as 'an actor' since 1980s. Especially, as various topics are actively being discussed dur...
This paper mostly analyzed and forecasted in what kind of shape Korean society has been formed and developed and by some chance its standing has been established as 'an actor' since 1980s. Especially, as various topics are actively being discussed during the reign of Participatory Government, it focused on, how and by some chance, Progressive Force Korea's standing has been established as an actor in relation to military security issues such as takeover of wartime operational control right, transfer of the U.S. military base, etc.
The chance that as an actor Korea has formed its standing could be found in a series of Korea-U.S. discord that started from 2002. Progress Force, which has been repetitively united and dissolved after 1987 democratization, seems to have succeeded in expanding among the populace anti-U.S. movement beginning from 2002 accident when Korean middle schoolgirls were killed by the U.S. tank. Taking the opportunity, they greeted in earnest a popularization age of internal solidarity and movement.
However, after appearance of Lee Myung-bak government, Conservative camp continuously proposed review or suspension of takeover of wartime operational control, but the discussion about wartime operational control right in Progressive camp seems to have reduced than in the past.
Because, with 2008 as the starting point, in the process of carrying out its anti-U.S. movement, Progressive camp has changed its main issues from political and military ones such as wartime operational control right, etc. to economic ones such as Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA), etc. It expanded Anti-U.S. beef imports movement to a pan-national campaign, gradually seeking fighting topics such as labor, education, etc. from the fields closely related to ordinary people's lives.
Accordingly, differently from 2006~2007, the discussion about takeover of wartime operational control right that can be said to be an important discussion among Korea-U.S. issues tends to be escaping from matters of concern among Progressive Force. Also, it is true that fighting for anti-U.S. base transfer is being carried out only in Pyeongtaek, the place where the base is scheduled to transfer, not in Seoul or as a pan-national campaign.
The phenomenon like this seems to be caused by followings. Fist, it originates from failure in securing solid popular support. Though wartime operational control right is an important issue, it failed to attract interest of the public and to lead them to positively participate in a campaign related to it. In addition, the issue itself, was neither so simple and general nor was an issue that can easily harmonize with the emotion of the public as the one of anti-U.S. beef imports campaign or middle schoolgirls accidents owing to an American tank.
Second, it is related to the standing of the group which takes the lead in carrying out campaigns. Included in the main force related to this issue are People looking for Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea, Pyeongtaek Pan-national Committee, etc. Sometimes, some superior groups or other larger-sized groups have been united, but the campaign did not become the one led by a superior group, for example, Korean Progressive Solidarity, thus, seeming to have failed to secure solid popular support. Now, it is too weak for Progressive camp to place the political matter on Korea-U.S. Union on the agenda and to carry out an explosive campaign in the problem containing a value, such as free democracy, etc., for and against which much is to be clearly said.
Progress camp after 2008, however, has been establishing a solidary union, while reinforcing systematically beyond political or sectorial characters only if the basic goal accords by the case. Accordingly, it may be possible that if a diplomacy & security issue is in earnest proposed in the future, the campaign becomes a pan-national one and has more effects on policy-making processes.