Yu-Min Joo

Decentralization and collaborative disaster governance: Evidence from South Korea

Abstract Decentralized disaster governance has been gaining much attention with the rising global urbanization rate and the complex nature of the disasters occurring in densely urbanized areas today. This paper studies the case of South Korea, a highly urbanized country with relatively recent decentralization reforms, in order to analyze the evolution of its disaster management system and to draw out implications from its experience. Specifically, it traces the national-level institutional changes in its disaster management, and then closely examines a hydrofluoric gas leakage in the industrial city of Gumi. The finding is that South Korea simultaneously carried out both centralization and decentralization of disaster management, which are not contradictory but rather complementary. Nevertheless, while the country successfully set up an integrated and comprehensive national-level management system, from which disaster governance can successfully be decentralized to localities, it still requires much more developed and consolidated multilevel (vertical) and broader (horizontal) collaboration, which are the preconditions for decentralized disaster governance.

Mega-events and mega-ambitions: South Korea’s rise and the strategic use of the big four events

The introduction chapter provides a brief overview of the four mega-events discussed in this book—the Summer Olympics (1988), the World Expo (1993), the FIFA World Cup (2002), and the Winter Olympics (2018). We highlight that the four mega-events were used as a political tool serving personal, national and international motives that reflect South Korea’s evolving politics and economic development stages. We contextualize the four mega-events in the context of South Korea’s state-led modern economic development, taking place at the precise moments when the country was making a leap from authoritarian developmental rule to democratic economic powerhouse. We follow the extent to which the mega-events have achieved their goals, including fostering international relationships, promoting national and urban development , and supporting decentralization development aims.

Housing the very poor or the young? Implications of the changing public housing policy in South Korea

Abstract This paper discusses the reorganization of the roles of the national and local governments in public housing policy alongside decentralization, with particular reference to South Korea. Focusing on policy changes over the past decade, it reveals that rather than retrenchment amid a push towards greater local autonomy, the national government has diversified and expanded its public housing policy, and is increasingly pursuing a universal approach to public housing. Through case studies of Seoul and Gyeonggi, it also shows how the two local governments have become creative suppliers of public housing that is more customized to the local context. In particular, it highlights the rising emphasis on targeting young people rather than the very poor in public housing policies, a shift that is partly a legacy of Korea’s ‘productivist’ welfare state. The paper closes by discussing the implications of this latest policy trend, especially on local–national policy coordination.

Transformative city branding for policy change: The case of Seoul’s participatory branding:

City branding has been widely adopted by entrepreneurial local governments to strengthen city identities and to attract global attention amid intensified intercity competition. Asian global cities, in particular, have competitively branded themselves to signal that they belong to the group of advanced global cities. This paper illustrates the transformative role of city branding in the making of a global city’s local identity, which has been hitherto underexplored in the literature. Specifically, it examines Seoul’s branding exercises, focusing on its unconventional projects that reflect the city’s recent efforts to become a “human-centered,” progressive city. We suggest adding a “transformative-enhancing” dimension to the existing “external–internal” city-branding framework, and argue that Seoul’s transformative city branding is, in fact, communicating the mayor’s new signature policies with citizens. When combined with a strong mayor’s efforts to cater to changing societal pressures, city branding is no longer solely a neoliberal marketing exercise, but a political project of policy change.

2002 FIFA World Cup and the Rebranding of South Korea

We trace the hosting of the 2002 FIFA World Cup , which played a major role in South Korea’s speedy recovery and national unity after its most challenging economic crisis in modern history. While the opposition criticized hosting the World Cup under dire economic circumstances, the national government insisted that the mega-event could be successful and turn around the crisis. Co-hosting the event with Japan , South Korea was able to not only unite a nation that was hit hard by the crisis, but also rebrand itself as a more advanced nation on the international stage. The key constituency that benefited from this highly visible mega-event and the renewed image of South Korea were the chaebols, emerging as the multi-national companies from then onward.

PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics

We explore the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics that aims to bring privileged winter sports to South Korea. Although Governor of Gangwon Province had initiated the bid , the national government and chaebols soon played a central role in its bidding and preparation, resulting in local and national tensions. However, they remained aligned on the goal of using the Games to achieve local development; Gangwon Province, known in the past for its mining industry, has long been suffering from underdevelopment. The biggest and unresolved question is whether the Winter Olympics will lead to the long-term local development of PyeongChang . Unless the outcome is a successful one, the ‘legacy ’ of the PyeongChang 2018 could end up being the country’s realization that mega-events are not a panacea for development.

Daejeon Expo ’93 and Paving the Way for Future Development Aspirations

We examine the 1993 Daejeon Expo, staged when the South Korean industry had to go through a fundamental restructuring amid the rising labor costs under the new democracy . Held under the theme of science and technology , the Expo sought to support South Korea’s industrial restructuring process and to expand its international trade markets. The location choice was politically driven. During his presidential election campaign, President Roh had suggested to hold the Expo in Daejeon, hoping to earn votes from the centrally located Choongchung Province. It also presented a good opportunity to showcase his efforts to seek balanced regional development outside Seoul. Additionally, the Expo was expected to finally trigger the growth in South Korea’s key technopole located in Daejeon , where its development had been sluggish.

1988 Summer Olympics and the Rise of South Korea and Seoul

We examine the 1988 Olympics that marked the beginning of South Korea’s pursuit of mega-events. Although South Korea had successfully embarked on a course of industrialization , it was far from being ready to host the Olympic Games. Seoul was still largely a Third World city, with large slums and inadequate urban infrastructure . Nevertheless, the centralized authoritarian state successfully pushed through to bidding and hosting the 1988 Games. The Olympics marked a turning point for Seoul , as well as for South Korea, introducing them to the world. With its astonishing success at both local and national levels, the 1988 Olympics set the tone for international mega-events to serve as a development tool in South Korea, leading to its popularity for many years to come.

Conclusions: The Art of Using Mega-Events for Development

The conclusion chapter discusses the four mega-events as mega-ambitious political and developmental tools, highlighting the ultimate national and local legacies the country has been able to reap. We look at the relationship between the four mega-events and South Korea’s modern development and argue that the events have been more state-centric pursuits than locally driven. Developing our argument further into ‘developmental mega-events’, we explain how the mega-events helped to secure South Korea’s position on the international stage, to boost nationalism , to propel economic growth in export-oriented national companies, and to build cities that accommodate as well as represent South Korea’s progress. They were strategic efforts to take part in long-standing motives, and its developmental objectives and outcomes legitimized the political drive behind the mega-events, despite some of their negative impacts.