Mobilizing the Development Narrative: South Korean

Developmental Visions for Infrastructure, Domestic and Southeast Asia,

1956-1973

John DiMoia, NUS, Department of History & STS Cluster

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Question:

•What does South Korea mean / suggest when it mobilizes its aid to SE Asia •(Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia)?

• + ”aid recipient to aid giver”• + “successfully underwent the • developmental experience”

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Initial Frame: the post-Korean War reconstruction story? A “success” story?

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Actually . . . much earlier than this~

(import substitution)

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Even back to 1945, and earlier (Japan, NK in

the background)

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Today’s Talk (5 / 21): Tracing

Competing / Contrasting

Narratives—1) The Ch’unju Fertilizer Factory Project • (1954-early 1960s) (domestic / “failure”);

• 2) The Pattani–Naratiwat Highway (1965-1968) (international / “success”);

• 3) The present-day turn: • the ROK and Southeast Asia?

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. I. The Ch’unju Factory /

Project Model: Integrating with other Major Projects? / The

Electrical Grid?

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The desired end / product?:

“agricultural,” and also as an index of development?

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(1954-1960) / starting point—and numerous

associated problems . . . (Park Tae-gyun, industrial

center)

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In subsequent memory, dramatic changes in perception (5 year

plan):

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And still later, a very mixed legacy . . .

• Dennis Fitzgerald

• O Won Chol

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II. Adding the International

Dimension: Pattani-Naratiwat Highway

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Chung Ju Yung / Hyundai—its

image as a chaebol

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Prior Forms of Mobilization . . .

Han River Bridge, 1958 han.mi hypcho—via FOA, ICA

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Pattani-NaratiwatBased in Southern Thailand

Constructing a highway, approx. 98 km

The “first” South Korean international project (covered by KBS) –departure from Kimpo airport December 1965

Will be a critical experience for the company in developing its expertise

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Ambitious, young workers on

behalf of the firm, and the ROK nation—the

“Hyundai engineer”

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The Thai Experience as formative? How so? And

for whom?

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Hyundai’s Corporate Office in

Thailand, early 1960s (Thai-ROK relations)

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ARD (Accelerated Rural Development)

Concentrated in NE

Thailand (Bordering Laos)

So why a highway in the South?

Linked with Thai Nation-Building

Sponsored by IBRD

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“Successfully” completed by

February 1968 (just over two years)

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The Project’s Short-term

Legacy for Hyundai:• Equipment Problems• Labor Problems (Thai workers)• Weather problems• Ultimately a Financial Loss (of about 1 • million US $)_________________________•But a “successful” completion: meaning greater access to the market—here

• meaning Vietnam, and still later?

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(1) The Kyungbu Expressway

(1968-1970): Seoul / Pusan

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But what about the autobahn

context (Park story)?

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(2) Vietnam (1965-1973):

Military Projects and ConstructionRMK-BRJ

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More examples?

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III. Linking to the present-day?

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And in memory—

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Some (very) tentative conclusions?

• (1) the domestic-regional-international • relationship?• (2) The Japanese / imperial / post-co • context?• (3) Hybrid and eclectic, in terms of • models, material practice—borrowing • whatever works• (4) “Caught between Empires”: •

(Japan, US, others)?

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Thanks~

• (1) “Engineering Asia” (Hiromi Mizuno, • Aaron S Moore)—edited volume

• (May 29th at NRI)

• &• (2) “Energy and Infrastructure” / 2nd book

• project

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