해방 이후 한국에서의 소비와 미국화 문제

Consumption and the Question of the Americanization in Korea since 1945

&nbsp;&nbsp;This is an article on the question of the Americanization of consumption since World War Ⅱ. We can divide the whole period into three stages.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;First stage (1945-1960) was the pre-industrial society which can be explained with the "give me chocolate" ethos. Once the Japanese Empire was surrendered, American troops landing in South Korea supplied the Korean people the basic consumer goods such as soaps, matches, shoes, and socks. Even worse, after the Korean War ended South Korean government and common people heavily depended on the American financial aids and aided goods. Sometimes the consumer goods of American soldier&quot;s PX were provided at the black markets. Made in USA was the object of envy and the inferior complex to most Koreans. At this stage, as a result, the Americanization of consumption in South Korea was not possible. Rather, it was dominant to criticize the purchase of the American consumer goods.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;Second stage (1961-1985) was the approaching industrial society through &quot;the compressed growth&quot; which can be explained with "let&quot;s get rich together" ethos. Taking the government after military coup, President Park Jung-Hee drove the export-oriented economy and development. The result of his economic policy was enormous and dazzling. South Korea had changed from the underdeveloped to the developing country within a decade. However, to boost his policy saving and thrift were strongly urged and consumption was depressed. Even though President Park pursued the modernization through the industrialization, he didn&quot;t accept the westernization that was welcomed by the youth. Thus, at the official level, American consumer goods such as cigarette and whiskey were drastically oppressed. After his unexpected death, another general Chun Doo-Whan succeeded. His regime suggested 3S(screen, sports, sex) policy to evade the public attention to the politics. He permitted the public to watch the color TV and removed the 37-years-curfew. More people got accustomed to buy the consumer goods such as TV, VCR, refrigerator, and washing machine.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;Third stage (1986- present) witnessed the birth of the consumer society which can be explained with "more Catholic than the Pope" ethos. Around the mid-1980s public attention began to switch from work to leisure, production to consumption. American fast food such as Burger King, KFC, and Pizza Hut began to open its branches. Young kids bought Nike rather than shoes when the former price was nearly ten times of the latter. In the early 1990s they became the X-generation whose attitude, thought, and values were totally different from their parent generation. They began to enjoy the American-style birthday party and the Valentine and Halloween days. They welcomed the shopping malls like COEX MALL in Seoul which was the complex space for consuming the desire itself. In a sense, while their parents aspiring to consume the American goods could not purchase the American products, now they can consume without limit.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;Can we simply argue the Americanization of consumption is realized even if most Koreans accept the American life style? Isn&quot;t there undergoing the &quot;creolization&quot; or even the hybridization in South Korean society? These questions are still open.