The Evaluation of the Economic Performance of Saemaul Undong in the 1970s through Comparison with Agricultural and Rural Development Programs in Major Asian Countries -Focusing on Agricultural Production and Farming Income-

This study compared the agricultural and rural development policies of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, which implemented similar policies in the economic development process among major Asian countries, and analyzed the uniqueness of each country and similarity between countries in the policy. In particular, in the case of Korea, the nature and role of the Saemaul Undong in the 1970s were evaluated in the long-term perspective of agricultural and rural development. It also compared the performance of the three countries in terms of agricultural production diversity and farm household income, and empirically analyzed whether Korea's performance was relatively better than Japan and Taiwan in 1970, when the Saemaul Undong was most actively promoted. From the related literature review in these countries, it was found that the agricultural and rural development policies of the three countries from 1960s to 1980s had many things in common in many aspects. Considering the timing of their implementation, it was found that Japan's policies had a great influence on the policies of Korea and Taiwan. In particular, the Saemaul Undong in rural areas in Korea served as the driving force for agricultural and rural development policies in the 1970s. However, the contents of the projects consisting of Saemaul Undong were similar to those of related policy projects in Japan and Taiwan, and not so different from the agricultural and rural development policies implemented before the Saemaul Undong. A structural change analysis using agricultural production and farm income data from the 1950s to 2020s showed that despite the agricultural and rural development policies of the 1970s represented by Saemaul Undong, Korea's agricultural production diversity and farm income did not increase faster than other periods. In addition, during the Saemaul Undong in the 1970s, the level of farm household income in Korea was significantly lower than that of Japan and was not superior to Taiwan. In addition, no empirical evidence was found that the proportion of farm household income in Korea to farm household income in Japan and Taiwan also increased during that period. These analysis results suggest that the relative performance of the Saemaul Undong, which served as a driving force for Korea's agricultural and rural development policies in the 1970s, might not have been as good as known.