Saemaul Undong

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The Saemaul Undong (Korean: 새마을 운동), also known as the New Community Movement, New Village Movement, Saemaul Movement or Saema'eul Movement, was a political initiative launched on April 22, 1970 by South Korean president Park Chung Hee to modernize the rural South Korean economy. The idea was based on the Korean traditional communalism called Hyangyak (향약; 鄕約) and Dure (두레), which provided the rules for self-governance and cooperation in traditional Korean communities. In fact, the New Village Movement itself originated from a rural development project called Saemaul Sa-up (새마을사업 [New Village Project]), which was initiated by Dr. Kwak Ye-soon through the Saemaul Sa-up Hwe (새마을사업회 [Incorporated Association of the New Village Project]), an organization he founded in 1964. In the 1950s and 60s, Dr. Kwak became one of the largest capitalists in Korea through his medical business. He began providing free medical services to the poor from the late 1950s. In addition, in 1964, he established the Saemaul Sa-up Hwe and launched several rural development projects in his hometown, Cheongdo County (청도군), North Gyeongsang Province, using his personal funds as a financial resource. He directly planned and directed all the project processes in collaboration with local people. These initiatives included the construction of modern houses, roads, and water and electricity infrastructure, as well as the provision of free medical services and the education of farmers. President Park encountered the project by chance during a nationwide inspection tour. Inspired by this work, President Park benchmarked Dr. Kwak’s project and initiated the New Village Movement as a nationwide campaign from 1970. The movement initially sought to rectify the growing disparity of the standard of living between the nation's urban centers, which were rapidly industrializing, and the small villages, which continued to be mired in poverty. Diligence, self-help and collaboration were the slogans...