This research deals with the change of farming villages and farmers in the 1960s and Saemaeul (New village in Korean) Movement of the first half of the 1970s. The purpose of this research is to clarify the historical facts about Saemaeul Movement, and...
This research deals with the change of farming villages and farmers in the 1960s and Saemaeul (New village in Korean) Movement of the first half of the 1970s. The purpose of this research is to clarify the historical facts about Saemaeul Movement, and later on to lay emphasis on finding out the relation between Saemaeul Movement and professional education of farmers, and on finding the reason why the perception of Saemaeul Movement by the masses did not change.
1960s were the period when the number of exemplary farmers and exemplary villages was increasing. Exemplary farmer is a farmer who was getting into market and increasing the income through business management while being engaged in agricultural industry. New peasants' movement promoted by the agricultural cooperatives, activities of rural guides, Special Project to Increase the Income of Farmers and Fishermen promoted by Government, etc. together with the individual efforts of farmers became a motivation to increase the number of exemplary farmers. Exemplary villages were influenced by supported pilot projects of farming villages, Regional Development Project of Rural Development Administration etc., but cases of villages' development by own efforts were more common. Village leaders expanded such projects as village roads widening, roof improvement, land reclamation by drainage/embankment projects, various improvement programs of living conditions. Under such circumstances, government officials working in agro-industrial related field were reporting of cases of the exemplary villages and exemplary farmers to the central authorities; and after the middle of 1960s media, magazines, etc. used to present various exemplary cases.
In the end of 1960s central authorities made a trial of new farming village development project under the model of exemplary farmers and villages; and Saemaeul recreation project started as a part of it in 1970. Saemaeul recreation project started to expand into whole country based on free provision of cement and slate, support of regional government officials etc. In the first half of 1972, Government had selected Saemaeul leaders, had prepared education system, the projects of roof improvement and the plan of Saemaeul tree planting as particular projects, the project of opening Saemaeul Summer School, etc. As well, large-scale mobilization system in regard to the central authorities and regional government officials was established at the same time. Saemaeul recreation project was converted into Saemaeul Movement during that period.
The background of the establishment of Saemaeul Movement mobilization system can be understood under the government action style taken for establishment of Yushin regime (Revitalizing Reform System in meaning but this was formed by Park's government to guarantee his life-long presidential term) and maturity of three main factors, namely the internal changes of rural societies represented by exemplar farmers and villages, preparation of officials of central and regional authorities, and the establishment of cement and slate supply system. Park Chung-hee government stabilized the Yushin regime, started to utilize properly Saemaeul Movement and Talks between South and North Koreas to unify support of masses. As well, in 1973 they actively utilized the external outcome of Saemaeul Movement while promoting the policy of heavy and chemical industrialization. Due to the latter, Saemaeul Movement gradually started to lose its characteristic of being strategy to modernize farming villages. The feature of Saemaeul Movement such as being the strategy to modernize farming villages and to improve their environment was strong in the initial stage, but it started to be applied as a route to spread Yushin regime ideology and to stabilize political power unifying support of masses about the period when Yushin regime was established.
When the Saemaeul Movement mobilization system was established, Saemaeul Movement was developed focusing on three major projects, namely Environment Improvement Project, Income Increase Project, and Consciousness Development Project. The reason why Environment Improvement Project could succeed up to the limited extent was not only construction of mobilization system, competitive system of villages, the well-prepared cement and slate supply system, but as well the fact that it actually was useful to the farmers. Building of roads and supply of electricity executed as part of Environment Improvement Project did accelerate the connection between capital and farming villages. The outcome of this project had positive effects, such as increase of income, growth of consumption, expansion of market. However, it had a disadvantage that the trend of farmers to consider agriculture to be the most unreliable occupation was spreading.
The Income Increase Project was started to be prepared in 1972 and was accomplished in 1974. The main policies of it were the second development of Income Increase Project into the Special Project to Increase the Income of Farmers and Fishermen, supply and extension of rice of unification (sort of rice, developed in S. Korea in 1971) for the expansion of food production, expansion of side businesses, Saemaeul factory establishment. In order to achieve the goal of increasing the income, Government fully mobilized government officials and farmers in the same way as it was done during the Environment Improvement, but the substantial outcome of that project was ceased with the supply and expansion of rice of unification. Such policy and mobilization contributed to the increase of average income of each farming family, however the rise of status of farmers and economic security of agricultural industry were far away from being guaranteed. The farmers of that period preferred the personal choices such as moving to the cities, education of children, side businesses etc. rather than reinvesting into agriculture or resisting against collapse of villages. On the other hand, Government kept promoting stability of political power advertizing success of the Income Increase Project, and capitalists had secured provision of human and material resources from the farming villages. Government and industrialists showed no interest in policies and support for the professional education of farmers or restructuring agricultural industry. Due to such reasons, competitiveness of agricultural industry and farmers became weaker, and the circumstances of being difficult to provide development of agricultural market came into existence after 1980s.
Consciousness Development Project was being executed using Saemaeul education and mass media. The contents of Saemaeul education were changing depending to the needs of the period after the establishment of Yushin regime, namely, there were classes for the efficient farmer producers in the first half of 1972, and the classes for the Saemaeul leaders in the second half of 1972. The education of the classes for the efficient farmer producers was supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Korea, and its content was emphasizing farming education and agricultural cooperative movement. The department of supervision of the education of classes for the Saemaeul leaders was transferred from Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to the Cheongwadae (executive office and official residence of the president), so the content of the education was accented by the Environment Improvement Project. The education of national ideologies, such as the concept of Yushin regime, view to the State was reinforced, and the scope of it was not only limited to the farmers, it was extended to the government officials, leaders of society, city dwellers etc.
Saemaeul advertising project was executed through broadcasting system and newspapers. The headquarters of Saemaeul broadcasting were made in 1972, and conference of Saemaeul broadcasting was held in 1973. Due to these facts, the programs related to Saemaeul Movement started to be arranged centrally. The programs of 1972-1973 related to Saemaeul can be described by such features as gigantism, increase of fixed programs, broadcasting during the best time etc. In 1972-1973, every newspaper competitively published feature articles related to Saemaeul, but after 1974, Seoul Shinmun was publishing articles related to Saemaeul Movement continuously. Moreover, Government was controlling the contents of the articles on Saemaeul Movement thoroughly.
The biggest problem of Consciousness Development Project was that the target of propaganda and information was shifted from peasantry to all citizens. Around 1973, even the contents of propaganda and information were concentrated not on the agricultural technologies and changes in the farming villages, but on Yushin regime and national ideology. The result of it was that Saemaeul Movement fell away from the modernization of villages and professional education of farmers, and gradually became national spiritual mobilization to stabilize state structure.