Abstract
This essay tries to examine those discussions on the propriety of adopting an open-door policy towards Japanese culture which were carried out in the South Korean Diet during the years 1994-2003.On October 8, 1998, a joint statement concerning “a new Japan-Korea [Korea-Japan] partnership towards the 21st century” was made by Kim Daejung and Keizo Obuchi (who were President of ROK and Prime Minister of Japan respectively). This was where the process of deregulating the introduction of Japanese culture into Korean cultural soil came to a decisive turning point. The open-door policy towards Japanese culture actually got started. It is to be noted that up to that year there had been vehement and serious discussions and arguments about the issue, and that after the joint announcement of 1998 discussions and arguments went on. During the period 1994-200, some argued against deregulating; others accepted the process of opening the door because of the inevitability of the cultural trends; still others stressed the need of suspending the judgment as it was too soon to determine the merit/demerit of the policy. In this essay the author considers these arguments and discussions in terms of the political and historical context of the period.In what political and historical conditions did those discussions and arguments occur? What changes did political and historical situations go through with the going on of the debates and controversies? This is what the author is going to investigate into.
