Saemaul Undong

Benefited by two successful five-year development plans of 1962-66 and 1967-71, the urban population was moving ahead socially, culturally, and economically, but countryside was still sunk in poverty and lethargy. Such situation brought about the exodus of young rural population into urban areas. In view of this, in 1970 President Park Chunghee provided the initial impetus to the New Community Movement as a spiritual pillar for Korea's modernization.

The social objectives of the New Community Movement were to enlighten the rural people through New Community Education so as to transform the outlook and habits of the tradition-bound and poverty-stricken rural population, help them develop diligence and thrift; a spirit of self-help and cooperation, and modernize rural society. Originally targeted toward the agricultural sector, it soon inspired various aspects of civic and cultural life throughout the nation.

The New Community projects brought about modernization of rural housing, reconstruction of roads and welfares, and development of sanitary systems and scientific and technical know-how among the villagers, thus incomes and living standard got improved and villages became modernized.

The campaign became the driving force and most successful social engineering behind Korea's modernization and economic development and is regarded as one of the most significant achievements in modern history, attesting to the people's unwavering commitment to the movement. Of all things, it is a movement to escape from poverty, and is the development model for many countries.