The Bio-politics of Reproduction Technologies in Modern Korea, 1960-1990

This paper explores the historical landscape of bio-politics shaped in modern Korea. Between the 1960s and the 1990s, conjoined issues within gender, demography, reproductive technologies, culture, and politics unveiled the salient aspect of women’s reproductive lives in the country. The strong national desire for modernization and development after the Korean War became a powerful force, transforming the state into a bio-power agency. Through the implementation of the family planning program, the widespread adoption of modern reproductive technologies empowered women to control their own reproduction and brought out abrupt social and demographic changes in the country. The findings of the study suggest that Korean women were not merely a subject of family planning but active creator in the way of reproducing bio-power as well as the patriarchal culture through modern technologies.