내재적 발전과 국제적 소통의 관점에서 본 한국근현대사

Abstract

Korean society today requires an open attitude toward embracing both one's identity as a world citizen, as well as a national identity, within the current conditions of globalization and the partition of the Korean peninsula. In an attempt to seek historial consciousness supporting this attitude, this study combines the viewpoints of ‘endogenous development' and ‘international communication'. Korea has tried to maintain its own identity to avoid absorption into major nations like China, Japan, the U.S., etc. while accepting their advanced civilization. Korea has enriched its own culture while exchanging and communicating bilaterally with other nations in the world. Since modern times, Koreans have communicated with a sense of solidarity with the oppressed peoples of small countries that found themselves in situations similar to those of the Koreans. In addition, Koreans have actively communicated with regions and people working for Socialism or cooperative movements in order to find alternatives to Capitalism. Koreans have sought strategies to build a new country while maintaining their East Asian traditions including Confucian common benefits, a centralizing nation, and a goal of an equal society. The aim of Korean society was unavoidably distorted because of outside influences stemming from the rise of the Cold War after the 1945 Liberation. North Korea lost its adaptability and became a national socialist country. South Korea also lost the society of community and equality championed by its first constitution and became an anti-Communist Capitalist country. While still divided, both South Korea and North Korea cannot break away from their confrontational positions of the Cold War. However, South Korea was still able to achieve continuous economic growth. In comparison to other Third World countries, South Korea could achieve this feat because it received preferential treatment from advanced capitalist countries by emphasizing its position on the front lines against communism. At the same time, South Korea maintained social unity during the process of industrialization by promoting social and economic reforms such as land reform. Steady economic growth was possible because the South Korean government pursued policies that were appropriate to Korea while still referring to the various experiences of many of the other countries in the world. Nevertheless, when taking a broad view, Korean failed to create its own national model that achieved international universality while promoting internal tradition. This paper argues that the creation of the model will be even harder because the problem of exploring the future of peaceful coexistence and reunification between the two Koreas must be addressed. The social integration that existed at the early stages of industrialization was perfectly destroyed because of the industrialization process. Steady development of Korea will be impossible unless social unity is achieved through the second round of social and economic reforms. Therefore, buliding a future of Korea should encompass a focus on both internal tradition and the experience of international communication.