Development challenges in South Korea: reflection on the Saemangeum land reclamation project

Abstract

This article examines what the development challenges are in South Korea by specifically analyzing the case of the Saemangeum land reclamation project from a critical approach to development. By exploring the state-led Saemangeum land reclamation project, which in the end adopted the rhetoric of sustainability, the article examines the impact of state development on the environment and community sustainability. It is shown how the traditional local knowledge of sustainable living has vanished, ironically through the ‘ecofriendly’ development project that supposedly recognizes the cultural space of the fishers and the way they relate to each other and nature. By observing the Saemangeum project, which demonstrates the existing development challenges in South Korea, the article questions how to reach a peaceful and sustainable future.