Abstract
In the late of 1990s, more than half a century after Japan and many Western European countries established their social security systems, South Korea founded its own. Approximately 20 years have passed since then, rendering the contemporary setting appropriate for an assessment of the system’s development. Because of the introduction of numerous, varied policies after establishing its system, the development of South Korea’s social security model has evaded concise description. However, when historically contextualized in comparison with the experiences of developed countries such as Japan and Western European countries, it can be observed that the South Korean system has advanced in a considerably different manner. This paper proposes that Fordism, an economic condition unique to the 20th century, made possible the historical experiences of developed countries, in particular the significant expansion of social security systems during the postwar “Golden Age of the Welfare State”（Flora 1986-87: xii）. Conversely, not having benefitted from Fordism, South Korea in the 21st century is being subjected to the pursuit of a new endeavor within a different policy context to that of the aforementioned developed countries. It is noteworthy here that the policy context South Korea is confronted with, and the new directions it is consequently pursuing, is identical to that experienced by other Asian countries as well. Thus, this paper aims to explore new paths not only for South Korea but also for other Asian countries in the 21st century ― through an analysis of the development of South Korea’s social security system.
The structure of this paper is as follows. Section 1 explains how South Korea’s social security system is developing in an alternate direction to those historically pursued by developed countries. Section 2 presents a historical and theoretical consideration of Fordism and the welfare state, and describes South Korea’s policy context ― which differs from those that developed countries historically faced. Section 3 introduces and contextualizes South Korea’s new endeavor, following which it examines issues common to 21st-century Asia that South Korea’s situation highlights.
