(Re) Constructing a World City: Urbicide in Global Korea

Abstract

This paper considers the relationship between Seoul's growing status as a world city and the practices of urban destruction and development which are being used to construct it as a world city in the age of neoliberal globalisation. The urbicide approach is often used to explain the reasons for urban destruction and the cultural and social implications of urban restructuring. The paper questions the novelty and substantive nature of the South Korean government's soft-power 'global Korea' rhetoric of Seoul as a world city of cultural diversity. The paper uses the South Korean case to show how urbicide as a western concept can be developed within non-western urban processes, and identifies conceptual limits and how these limits might be overcome.

Political Economy Analysis of The Rising of South Korean Property Industry:

“…Further, in relation with the main topic of this paper, the discussion on the relationship between state and business theme, Roemer-Mahler (2012) said, "The business community can be an important factor to explain policy outcomes". Then, Watson (2013) said that in order to achieve certain target of globalized economy in neo-liberalist world, state could emphasize on soft power in formulating policy to attract global capital like what Korean Government done in Seoul city planning of urbicide as implications of urban restructuring plan. While Tongzon and Cheong (2016) said that business could grow modestly by strengthen between countries or region in a frame of economic agreement, like AKTIS (ASEAN -Korea Trade in Service).…”

Political leadership and ‘non-traditional’ development cooperation

“…President Lee Myung-bak put his personal legacy and the country's reputation on the line with its global leadership' under his administration's overarching 'Global Korea' agenda, 34 and ODA was one means to realize that aspiration. 35 The Global Green Growth Institute was established, and the Green Growth Fund headquartered in Korea with an ambition to make Korea the hub of Green Growth knowledge sharing and policy experimentation. 36 The East Asia Climate Partnership (EACP) was also established to facilitate the spread of renewable energy technologies and power plants as part of Korean aid to Asian recipient countries, with an aim to increasing Green ODA to take up to 30 percent of total Korean aid projects.…”