The economic development of South Korea, in the context of globalization, also led to the country's vulnerability. Once the economic partners, especially the countries that were the major import partners, experienced economic recession, South Korea, like the rest of the world, was subject to a recession. Many of the Asian countries that were a few years ago were praised for their rapid and sustained economic development were proven to have encouraged unsound practices like an unlimited and uncontrolled overinvestment from the part of business groups that were receiving the protection of corrupt officials. However, South Korea was able to swing the negative effects of an economic downfall of the Asia tigers toward a rapid change in economic policies. "In the six months between mid-September 2001 and mid-March 2002, the stock market has risen by nearly 90%"(Noland 2002). The economic policies undertaken under the new government were, as shown before, encouraging investments at any cost and a high rate of domestic indebt. "Property prices are up in Seoul, credit card lending more than doubled last year, and household debt has risen from 18% of GDP to 62% in two years, the fastest growth rate in the world, achieving in two years what it took notoriously profligate U.S. households a decade to accomplish" (idem).
New organizations and the 368 generation will further change South Korean politics mainly toward its number one partner. Domestic non-governmental organizations and international public opinion makers, as well as a more democratic South Korean regime than ever pushed the balance in favor of an altered relationship with the United States. Since the 1990s, the decentralized South Korean government gave way to local organizations and institutions to thrive and take over the control. The change in politics was thus inevitable. People were more and more aware and willing to seek and judge flaws in the actual state of affairs in the relationships the country had with international partners....
The United States lost their invincible aura and the politics following the 9/11 attacks were not destined to encourage the South Koreans into continuing their parents' views of the role the United States played in their country's destinies. "In May 2000, officials of the fourteen local governments that house U.S. bases established a "nationwide consultative body" of local governments and latter submitted legislation to the national Assembly that called for increased central government grants and aid to local governments, the establishment of local development committees at central and local levels, and through environmental impact assessments undertaken by the national government around U.S. base areas" (Moon 2004, 46).
The changes in transport and communication technology that made information available to the whole nation with a higher speed than ever in the age of the internet, high speed trains and jet airplanes also influenced a change in the public manifestation of opinion. The power of pro-American propaganda was over. South Koreans are now able to access information like any American. People are judging for themselves and deven though manipulative techniques are still used world wide, the power of influencing the public into accepting one sided politics has disappeared. Although negative depictions of foreign powers tend to dominate, Koreans are also engaged in self-reflection about their own abuses of power and victimization of foreign neighbors. Korea's role in Vietnam is a case in point" (Moon 2004, 50).
Many theories of globalization tend to see its effects world wide as an annihilator in terms of borders and national economies. The idea that economics dictate the foreign relations today is partly arguable. South Korea changed its role in the partnership with the United States during the last fifteen years not only because the economic interest of the country have changed, but also because its vulnerability towards disturbing images of North Korean children dying…
