A Comparative Study of the Energy Policy Making of South Korea and Germany- with focused to Hermeneutic Methodology -

Korea and Germany had pursued similar unclear policies until the accident so Fukushima and Chernobyl. However Chernobyl accident made German civil societies raise questions upon the nuclear policies and the misfortune in Fukushima played a catalyst that brought changes in the process of decision making of unclear policies. Unlike Germany, the nuclear policies of South Korea have kept moving on the same old track, which invariably comes to cause social conflict. This study intends to propose the necessity of a methodological alternative incase the social conflict continues. Based on hermeneutics and methodology, this study analyzed the differences of Korea and Germany in the decision-making process of nuclear policies from political, economic, social, environmental and renewable energy-related perspective. The findings of the comparative study reveals that although South Korea understood, had interest in and went through the process of reflection on the policies from social and environmental perspective, respectively, it didn’t do from political, economical, and renewable energy-related perspective. On the other hand, Germany showed insufficient reflection in economic dimension, but well-considered reflection and communication in other dimensions. It was also found that the appropriate consideration of Germany led to social and environmental consensus in energy policy making. Even German people actively invested particularly in renewable energy sector.