Perceptions of Political Actors on Local NGOs in Korea: The Case of Gangwon Province

NGOs in Korea in the process of diversification, decentralization and revitalization have constant influences on the political process to achieve their purposes. As political localization begins, Korean people can monitor and point out much broader socio－economic and political issues such as the structural changes in political system, social shift and political reaction, and the development of party politics in a daily basis. In this situation, it is anticipated that NGOs can play roles to enhance social reforms and political process with grass－root democratization. On the other hand, since it gets through the process of civic development and its insufficient experiences of pluralistic civil society, NGOs brings burden to the Korean society. This paper explores the perceptions of political actors on local NGOs in Korea to understand the current situation of NGOs status. It is beneficial for both NGOs and other political actors to evaluate NGOs activities for further development. This paper also tries to examine how and to what extent major local NGOs have employed strategies to increase their influence on the political process in local politics. It is expected to find out what barriers there are to overcome in order to firmly establish a pluralistic democratic system.