South Koreans share similar views on the political, economic and social-cultural issues. To them, the most important task for the nation is continued economic growth, not national security, although the younger people emphasize the reduction of wealth disparity, while the older people support the business-friendly government policies. Both old and new generations support democracy and capitalism, although the former interprets both systems conservatively and the latter more liberally. Most Koreans also accept, if not welcome, Western civilization while simultaneously taking pride in hallyu and are nostalgic about their traditional culture.

The above thought and behavioral patterns of South Koreans are strikingly similar to those of typical Americans. Does this mean that Korean society has become modernized and westernized, casting off the shell of Confucian civilization? Samuel Huntington’s grand theory of clash of civilizations is still controversial. One of his arguments is that the non-Western world will not be westernized although it can be modernized through partial westernization, and non-Western civilizations will eventually discard the remnants of Western civilization and be revitalized. My view is that the Korean case shows such a theory is too simplistic and ambiguous to explain the complex interaction between the West and the non-West.

Three historical forces ― modernization, Western civilization and Western liberalism ― have converged on Korea since World War II. The politico-economic system of the Republic of Korea was modeled on the Western democratic-capitalist system heavily influenced by the American system. The modernization of Korean society began under Japanese colonialism in the beginning of the 20th century but it was a highly distorted and limited one. Modernization began in the late 18th century in Britain and spread to other parts of the Western world. The forces of modernization driven by industrialization spread to every aspect of human life: They are the centralization of the state (consolidation of the nation- state), urbanization, the capitalist mode of development, rise of individualism, rational explanation of natural and social phenomena, scientific and technological education, growth of mass communication and transportation, and the materialistic way of thinking.

In the West, Western civilization definitely contributed to modernization. Western civilization and modernization are mutually reinforcing. In the non-West, therefore, modernization or rapid economic development can hardly be realized unless it is supported by Western values ― particularly, individualism (individual rights and property ownership), rationalism, the rule of law, and challenge to nature. In other words, as long as non-Western states seek rapid economic growth, they have no choice but to adopt these Western values.

In this respect, the Chinese, Japanese and Korean slogans for modernization ― Jungche Seoyong (Chinese principles, Western practice); Hwahon Yangje (Japanese spirit, Western technique); and Dongdo Seogi (Korean way, Western tool ) ― are simply political slogans, not realistic strategies. The key intervening variable is politico-economic system.

In the contemporary era there are three models for modernization: the Western, communist, and mixed models. The former Soviet Union and other communist countries tried to modernize their countries through the communist planned economic development strategy and failed. China attempts to modernize itself through a state capitalist development strategy. On the other hand, South Korea has followed the Western model. Some Westerners cite Japan as a country has achieved modernization using Western civilization without sacrificing its own civilization.

There are many non-Western countries which venture to achieve modernization without resorting to Western civilization and the Western politico-economic system while preserving their civilization. I predict that such a mixed model will fail, because modernization nurtures individualism which can prosper best under Western democracy which is rooted in Western civilization.

What will be the future of those countries, including South Korea, which have followed the Western development model? In the case of South Korea, the forces of modernization and westernization have so deeply penetrated into Korean society that it is impossible to preserve its Confucian civilization.

The Korean people are now divided into three pairs of generations: the modern vs. pre-modern generations; the Western vs. non-Western generations; and the pro-capitalist vs. pro-controlled capitalist generations. These generations are not necessarily related to age group. In such a trisected society anomie is inevitable. Right now, the South Koreans are suffering from this anomie. They cannot go back to the past, because the currents of modernization and Westernization are too powerful to resist and will destroy Korean traditional culture in their way.

History never stops moving. Westerners believe that human progress is inevitable. It means that history never moves backward. In this process, Western and non-Western civilizations are likely to integrate into one civilization through a dialectical process. This integrated civilization will be different from the historical ones. Human history has been a long and painful process of overcoming barbaric life from which humans started. For this reason, I dispute Huntington’s pessimistic clash of civilizations theory.

By Park Sang-seek

Park Sang-seek is a professor at the Graduate Institute of Peace Studies, Kyung Hee University. ― Ed.