The “Grand” Green Projects and the Democratic Realities in South Korea: A Case Study of the 4-Rivers Restoration Project

Abstract

This research explores the case of the 4-Rivers Restoration Project and the social reaction that emerged after its announcement in 2008. The general argument is that the policy design and implementation processes in Korea are frequently trapped between the constraints of democratic institutions and the developmental tendency to promote grand national projects. To show the tension between the government and the social opposition I focus on the process of how both parties framed the issue. The case study intends to shed some light on the current state of Korean democracy and the difficulties to match developmental patterns and democratic schemes, which implies the necessity to redesign the political culture in Korea.