Identity Crisis and Social Integration under Globalization in Korea

Identity means a sense of belonging or recognition of commonality. The role of identity is important as a prerequisite to solving the problems of social integration and political legitimacy. However, globalization has brought an identity crisis to the traditional nation state in two dimensions. The first is a socioeconomic cleavage resulting from the widening economic inequality and the second is a sociocultural cleavage following the transition to a multicultural society. This paper explores what kinds of standards may be used to reshape the Korean identity and what sorts of principles may be considered to sustain Korean democracy. To achieve social integration with a new Korean identity, I suggest a transition from majoritarian democracy to consensual democracy at the political system level and a shift of focus from ethnic nation to civic nation at the national discourse level. In this new political community, patriotism based on political values and principles that we have inherited from the legacy of democratization will be the core element of Korean identity, and it should be borne out of equilibrium between emotional attachment and rational reflection in the process of constructing individual as well as group identities.