Political culture in South

Korea
• Korean political culture is defined as a set of beliefs,
values, and attitudes about politics which are widely
shared among Koreans.
• Political culture is not static, but dynamic, changing
slowly over time. It is generally acknowledged that
political culture is transmitted from one generation to the
next through the process of political socialization. Among
several agents influencing the process, the most important
ones are:
 The family.
 Schools.
 Peer groups.
 The mass media.
 Political culture in South
Korea
• Since political culture is dynamic rather than static, it is not easy to
succinctly define the main characteristics of South Korean political
culture. The major characteristics of South Korean political culture
are:
 Authoritarianism.
 Civic orientation.
 Collectivism (an orientation stressing collectivity over
individual members, like familyism).
 Alienation.
 Factionalism.
 National identity (or nationalism).
 South Korea’s political culture is often described as being
influenced by Confucianism.
 Political culture in South
Korea
• In the Korean democratic political process, a civic orientation,
the propensity to resist or protest, and national identity (or
nationalism) may be considered conducive to democratic
politics, while the remaining features have been dysfunctional.
These relatively non-democratic components are legacies of
both the Confucian culture of the Choson dynasty and Japanese
colonial rule. In other words, nondemocratic elements of
traditional Korean political culture were strengthened by
Japanese militaristic, bureaucratic, and authoritarian political
culture. On the other hand, in the post-liberation period, the civic
orientation was enhanced by American influence, as the new
democratic institutions and education tended to strengthen such
an orientation.
 Political culture in South
Korea
• Historically, the propensity to resist developed in the process
of resistance to foreign invasions as well as in the fight against
unjust and illegitimate rule. The deeply rooted non-democratic
culture made it difficult for the system to function
democratically until the 1980s, even though the institutional
forms adopted by the West appeared democratic. Since 1987,
the situation has been gradually changing. In the political
arena, collectivism and factionalism still remain strong, while,
the authoritarian tendency has begun to decline. As a result of
the democratization of the state, alienation has been greatly
alleviated.
 Political culture in South
Korea
• South Korea’s political culture is often described as being
influenced by Confucianism. Confucian values such as the
emphasis on education and diligence are often used to explain
the remarkable economic growth of East Asian countries. While
education and a strong work ethic can complement the values
advocated by Protestant ethics, seen as the essence of capitalism
and economic prosperity, other Confucian values often conflict
with Western liberal democratic principles. For example, the
emphasis on group interest over individual rights do not stand
well with the values cherished in liberal democracies.
 Political culture in South
Korea
•Political participation is an important element of
political culture. According to Verba, Nie, and Kim
(1978). According to Huntington and Nelson, we
need to think of participation as "an umbrella
concept, a label for a whole set of variables" in order
to understand the causes of different patterns of
citizen participation.
 Political culture in South
Korea
•Political participation is defined here as the action of citizens to
influence government policy or to influence the distribution of
government resources. Three modes of participation - elections,
group activity, and violence are used to analyze participation in
South Korea. Elections apply to the participation of voters in
voting for their representatives. Group activity includes such
cooperative actions as strikes, demonstrations, protests, and
citizens' petitions aimed at influencing government policy.
Violence can be regarded as a "distinct category (that affects
governmental decision - making by doing physical damage to
persons or property." Indeed, violence sometimes grows out of
elections and group activities like protests and strikes.
 Political culture in South
Korea
• Regarding political participation, South Koreans' voting rates of
89.2 percent in presidential elections and 83.4 percent in
parliamentary elections were much higher than the voter turnouts in
similar elections in the U.S. ( 51 percent and 69 percent). Koreans'
voting rates were also higher than those of the British, the Germans,
the Italians, and the Mexicans. Nevertheless, in other areas of
political participation such as joining political parties and
participating in political rallies, election campaigning, lobbying, and
other related activities, Koreans' involvement was relatively low.
For example, a majority of Koreans (52.7 percent) indicated their
reluctance to get involved in politics, while 46.3 percent indicated
their willingness to participate in politics.