Awareness of sustainable development: why did the Saemangeum Tideland Reclamation Project lead to the first national controversy over sustainable development in South Korea?

Abstract

In this thesis, a list of aspects or characteristics of sustainable development awareness in a society was made from a literature review of the history of sustainable development, theories and practices on sustainable development, and sustainable development in anthropology. An historical review of tideland reclamation in Korea and key informant interviews about the Saemangeum Tideland Reclamation Project were conducted. It was an effort to show that the Saemangeum Project became the first national controversy over sustainable development in South Korea by applying the list of aspects or characteristics of sustainable development awareness. This study was carried out in an attempt to seek a way of studying sustainable development from an anthropological point of view. The results of this study indicated that the majority of aspects or characteristics of sustainable development awareness had emerged in the early and middle 1990s when the Saemangeum Project became a national controversy over the environment versus development. Broadening the research area of sustainable development by focusing on a human behavior, awareness, is the main contribution of this study to the anthropological study of development. The thesis concludes with the possibility of a comparative study between countries where mud-flats are a significant natural resource to deepen understanding sustainable development.