UC San Diego

The churches in South Korea contributed to the emergence of civil society by their crucial role in the democratization movement under the authoritarian regime. How, then, can churches strengthen civil society after democratization? Using the NGOs' activism for migrant workers, the dissertation examines this question. The NGOs' activism for migrant workers, in which churches have played a leading role, illustrates a vibrant civil society after democratization. It has accomplished a significant elevation of migrant workers' rights and their integration into Korean society. However, it also has showed a lack of civility and undemocratic practices. Thus, there is incongruence between ad extra advocacy and ad intra practices in the NGOs. I argue that the role of churches and the incongruence are the double-edged effects of the democratization movement. The churches and the NGOs in this field are heirs of the democratic movement. This heritage not only has enhanced the strength of the NGOs, but also has hindered the fostering of civility in the emergent civil society. In this activism, churches and the clergy have played a key role in dual senses: a role of a catalyzer to advance the accomplishments as well as an anticatalyzer in preventing the development of civility. The leadership of activist-ministers has reinforced the double-edged effects under the organizational culture of the churches in a broad Korean Confucian cultural environment. My findings suggest, first, that the civil society in Korea has developed, based on the resistance model which conflates opposition to the state. Consequently, this new democratic context needs the cooperation model which conceives cooperation and democratic negotiation with not only the state but also other NGOs, as important as resistance against the state. Secondly, my findings suggest that churches as well as NGOs need to engage in a culture which fosters civility while discouraging authoritarian leadership and paternalism. Accordingly, the activism for migrant workers demonstrates that the public role of churches has not shrunk after democratization. However, its potential will depend on how it changes its role from the resistance model to the cooperation model and how it promotes moral qualities of civil society