Korean National Identity and Korean Politics

The East Asia Institute (EAI) Center for Public Opinion Research is publishing the book "Korean National Identity and Korean Politics" based on an analysis of data from the "National Identity" public opinion survey conducted in 2005. Edited by Kang Won-taek, Chair of the EAI Civic Politics Research Team, the book features a total of nine contributors and conveys the message that the "South Korean National Identity" is being strengthened, moving beyond the myth of a single ethnic nation among the Korean people. Sponsored by: JoongAng Ilbo, Hyundai

"For a very long time, we have lived within the 'myth of a single ethnic nation.' We have been taught that we are all a kinship community, descendants of Dangun, leading homogeneous lives with a shared history, language, and culture. Now, that myth is being challenged. This is because South Korean society is no longer ethnically homogeneous. The number of foreign workers residing in Korea for extended periods has significantly increased, and many Koreans are marrying foreigners. Consequently, the number of mixed-race Koreans born to these couples is also growing. Furthermore, we can easily encounter ethnic Koreans with Chinese nationality who, despite having appearances, language, and culture not dissimilar to ours, consider themselves Chinese. Conversely, there are cases like that of the American football player Hines Ward, whom we accept as Korean despite his different appearance and language. Additionally, there are increasing numbers of 'new Koreans' from North Korea. This is leading to confusion regarding Korean identity....

This book is an attempt to find answers to the changes in our society's identity. We have sought to identify the characteristics of how the Korean identity, which we have taken for granted for so long, has transformed amidst these external changes and the passage of time. The book is broadly divided into two parts. Part I traces the changes in identity occurring within contemporary South Korean society. Part II examines the characteristics of identity through perspectives on the past and changes in perceptions of North Korea and unification."

Democratization Gives Rise to Stronger Nationalism_Chosun Ilbo, January 20, 2007. By Lee Sun-min, Editorial Writer [Book Review]

Table of Contents

Part I: National Identity and Korean Democracy

Chapter 1: Korean National Identity and Ethnic Identity: South Korean Nationalism | Kang Won-taek

Chapter 2: Collective Identity, Social Cleavages, and Political Cleavages | Kim Min-jeon

Chapter 3: Class Identity and the Political Behavior of Korean Voters | Jeong Han-ul

Chapter 4: The Growth of Democratic Citizenship and National Identity | Jeong Han-ul and Jeong Won-chil

Part II: National Identity and Integration

Chapter 5: Perceptions of the Liberation Period and the Korean War and National Identity | Kim Jang-soo

Chapter 6: Koreans' Evaluation of Past Regimes and Historical Pride | Lee Hyun-woo

Chapter 7: Koreans' Perceptions of North Korea and Unification and National Identity | Lee Nae-young

Chapter 8: Post-Materialism Among Koreans | Han Joon and Lee Jae-youl

Authors(In alphabetical order)

Kang Won-taek

Currently Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Soongsil University. Graduated from Seoul National University, Department of Geography. Ph.D. in Political Science from the London School of Economics (LSE), UK. Former Chair of the EAI Civic Politics Panel. Former Research Director for the Korean Political Science Association and the Korean Association of International Studies. Major works include [Political Reform and Democracy in Korea], [Korean Electoral Politics: Ideology, Region, Generation, and Media], "An Analysis of Support for Third Candidates in South Korean Presidential Elections," and "Protest Voting and Abstention under Plurality Rule Elections: An Alternative Public Choice Approach."

Kim Min-jeon

Currently Professor in the Department of General Education at Kyung Hee University. Graduated from Seoul National University, Department of Diplomatic Studies. Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Iowa, USA. Former Policy Analyst in the Legislative and Budget Office of the National Assembly Secretariat and Professor at the Training Institute of the National Assembly Secretariat. Major works include "An Evaluation of Electoral District Apportionment in Past National Assembly Elections: Focusing on Vote Equality and Fairness Between Parties," and "Strategic Intentions and Outcomes of Electoral System Changes: Focusing on Past National Assembly Elections."

Kim Jang-soo

Currently Senior Researcher at the Ilmin Institute of International Relations. Graduated from Korea University, Department of Political Science and International Relations. Ph.D. in Political Science from the State University of New York at Albany, USA. Former Senior Researcher at the Institute of East and West Studies. Former full-time lecturer in the BK21 East Asian Education Research Group at Korea University. Major works include "Asymmetric Mobilization and Conflicting Attitudes Toward Political Parties," and "Polarization of Perceptions Based on Party Identification: Mechanisms and Buffering Factors."

Lee Nae-young

Currently Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Korea University. Director of the EAI Center for Public Opinion Research. Graduated from Korea University, Department of Political Science and International Relations. Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. Former Professor at the Graduate School of International Studies, Kyung Hee University. Major works include (co-authored) "Democratization and Transitional Justice in East Asia," (co-authored) "Roh Moo-hyun's 2002 Presidential Election Evaluation and the Tasks for the Roh Moo-hyun Administration," (co-edited) "World Order in Transition and the Korean Peninsula," "Anti-American Sentiment and the ROK-US Alliance," "Generations and Political Ideology," and "Changing South Korean Public Opinion on the US."

Lee Hyun-woo

Currently Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Sogang University. President of the Korean Association for American Studies. Graduated from Sogang University, Department of Political Science and International Relations. Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. Former Professor in the Department of English and American Studies at Kyung Hee Cyber University. Major works include (co-authored) [Changes and Continuities in U.S. Congressional Elections], "Issues and Campaign Strategies in the 16th Presidential Election," "The Democratization of Mass Political Orientations in South Korea," and "Voter Turnout Through Strengthening Internet and Social Capital: The Case of the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election."

Lee Jae-youl

Currently Professor of Sociology at Seoul National University. Director of the Institute for Social Development at Seoul National University. Graduated from Seoul National University, Department of Sociology. Ph.D. in Sociology from Harvard University, USA. Former Director of the Korean Sociological Association. Major works include "Visible Success and Invisible Failure in Post-Crisis Reform in the Republic of Korea: Interplay of Global Standards, Agents, and the Local Specificity," "The Risks of the Information Age and Its Downsides," and (co-edited) [Research on Social Networks in Korean Society]."

Han Joon

Currently Professor of Sociology at Yonsei University. Graduated from Seoul National University, Department of Sociology. Ph.D. in Sociology from Stanford University, USA. Former Assistant Professor at Hallym University. Major works include (co-authored) [Advanced Quantitative Analysis in Social Sciences], [Corporate Responses to Changing Social Environments], "Social Networks and Social Capital in Organizations," and "Inter-Market Networks and Organizational Ecology."

Jeong Won-chil

Currently Senior Researcher at the EAI Center for Decentralization. Graduated from Chung-Ang University, Department of Public Administration. Master's degree in Public Administration from the same university. Former Head of the Media Publishing Team at Issue Today. Major works include (co-authored) [Roh Moo-hyun's 2002 Presidential Election Evaluation and the Tasks for the Roh Moo-hyun Administration] and [Dilemmas and Choices of the Roh Moo-hyun Administration].

Jeong Han-ul

Currently Senior Researcher at the EAI Center for Public Opinion Research. Graduated from Korea University, Department of Spanish Language and Literature. Doctoral candidate in Political Science and International Relations at Korea University. Major works include "Transformation of Alliances and Korean Perceptions of the U.S.," "Dilemmas of Bush's Second Term Foreign Policy: Constraints from U.S. and Global Public Opinion," and "Fluctuating Anti-Americanism and ROK-US Alliance."

Research Assistants

Park Saem-yi, former EAI researcher, currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Park Dong-wook, current EAI intern, pursuing a degree in Financial Management at the University of Toronto.

Shin So-yeon, former EAI researcher, Master's degree in Political Science and International Relations from Korea University.

Yoon Sang-won, current EAI intern, pursuing degrees in Middle Eastern Studies and Political Science at New York University.

The manuscript of this book is partially released for the convenience of our readers.