The purpose of this study is to analyze the class structure in Pusan City considering its rapid urbanization. In this study, the class structure in Pusan City is classified into three classes - capitalist, petty bourgeoisie, working class. Then, the p...
The purpose of this study is to analyze the class structure in Pusan City considering its rapid urbanization. In this study, the class structure in Pusan City is classified into three classes - capitalist, petty bourgeoisie, working class. Then, the proportion of each class and its change in class structure is presented by analysing census and economically active population data.
The main findings of this study can be summarized as follows.
First, the proportion of the capitalist in the class structure in Pusan City has gradually decreased since in 1966. The proportion of the petty bourgeoisie had fluctuated but has gradually increased ; that of the working class has decreased since in 1980.
Second, working class occupies relatively large proportion in Pusan City compared with other cities in Korea. Furthermore, the proportion of the productive laborers in this working class is very large, while that of the salary-men is relatively small.
Third, the proportion of urban petty bourgeoisie has increased absolutely and relatively since in 1980, even if the degree of increase in not very large. This interesting phenomenon is contrasted with the result of the other study.
In this study, besides such a rough analysis of the class structure in Pusan city, explanations about the inner composition of each class, their socio-economic conditions and interrelations between classes/strata are attempted very tentatively. By the way, this study in itself cannot go beyond a preliminary approach, so it needs to be supplemented by more theoretical/empirical researches.