Abstract
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A paradoxical argument has been made repeatedly with regard to conservatism in Korea: "There is a conservative force, but no conservative philosophy in Korean politics." This is what I would define as the dilemma of Korean conservatism. Thus Koreans have experienced a perennial complex, one defined by a lack of a proper conservative political philosophy. However, this complex is derived from a misguided internalization of West-centrism, a phenomenon that is quite common in many contemporary Third World countries. When they consider conservative philosophy, they usually have a Burkean (or British) conservative political philosophy in mind. But the conditions that had led to the formation of such a conservative political philosophy in England have been utterly lacking in Korea. The fundamental reason for this difference is, of course, derived from the fact that the context of modernization in Korea was radically different from that in England. Thus, I will first try to articulate the three causes for this difference in the paper: the conservative monopoly of politics and political power, the original contradiction between "political" and "philosophical" conservatism, and the heavy dependency of Korean political theories upon outside (Western) sources for their formation and innovation. Thereafter I will suggest two strategies for nourishing philosophical conservatism in order to overcome this dilemma.
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| Keywords:
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the dilemma of Korean conservatism, conservatism, philosophical conservatism, political conservatism, Confucianism
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| About the author(s)
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Kang Jung In (Kang, Jeong-in) is Professor of Political Science at Sogang University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. He has authored many books and articles including Seogu jungsimjuui-reul neomeoseo (Beyond the Shadow of Eurocentrism) (2004). E-mail: jkang@ sogang.ac.kr.
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