The Activites of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in South Korea

In the 1960s the Foundation opened an office in Seoul and began its work in South Korea. We closed this office in the early 1970s, because of the intensification of the dictatorship under Park Chun-Hee. In the middle of the 1980s we returned to South Korea and opened a cooperation office.

The Republic of Korea finds itself economically and politically in the important transition phase from a developing to a prosperous and politically stable industrial country. However, it was not possible to bring important aspects of this transformation process to a successful conclusion. The deep economic crisis in recent years has exposed many weaknesses in the Korean model. Numerous conglomerates (Chaebols) have had to declare bankruptcy; the financial system subsequently proved itself to be in complete disorder. The country has not been able to modify the system of economic-political steering to meet the requirements of a modern economy. The crisis exposed as well the inadequacies of the political system.

Many hopes have been raised by the first truly democratic change of government, and the present President Kim Dae-Jung. The hope is that democratization will advance and that the orientation towards well-balanced social politics will create a climate for stable development.

The first summit meeting between South and North Korea also lets one hope that there will be rapprochement and détente between the two nations. The results signal a new strategic orientation of the region, and South Korea is encouraging others to include North Korea in this process.

The project activities of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in Korea orient themselves around the following goals:

• economic reforms within the framework of the transition from a developing country to an industrial country,
• the further development of the political framework through a strengthening of the institutional structures, and an improvement of suitable political processes through a revision of important political strategies in certain sectors,
• the development and refinement of social-political instruments, improving the social welfare net, coordinating economic and political concepts for their social effects,
• social and political reforms in response to modernization and globalization,
• advising and educating the trade unions, especially as regards internal reforms and the ability of trade unions to influence the shaping of economic policy,
• improving the position of women in the trade unions, in politics and in society
• conceptualizing suitable political proposals within the framework of the North-South détente and preparing for the eventual reunification.

The Foundation cooperates with different partners, employing the expertise of the different partners according to the nature of the project. We work especially closely with trade unions, research institutions which are close to the trade unions, and, in exceptional cases, factory trade unions. Concerning the question of reunification our partners range from state research institutions to those non-government organizations who are trying to bring their ideas into the discussion. Economic, social and societal reforms and gender issues are discussed with universities and government offices.