295.3 Frame convergence into social justice: The Korean engagement into transnational food sovereignty movements

Thursday, August 2, 2012: 1:00 PM
Faculty of Economics, TBA
Oral Presentation
Suk-Ki KONG , Asia Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
Hyun-Chin LIM , Sociology, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
This paper intends to explain why and how the Korean social movements engage in the Global Justice Movement (GJM) by focusing on food sovereignty movements. We believe that Korean social movements gradually developed consciousness of food sovereignty through engaging in the GJM. Especially Korean environmental and agrarian movements are increasingly engaging in south-to-south collaboration with respect to food sovereignty. Both movements try to seize the so-called master frame, ‘food sovereignty’ against neoliberalism through strengthening relationship with global NGOs such as Friends of the Earth and Via Campesina. Divergent movements in Korea after achieving procedural democracy are converging again into social justice with expanding their activism into transnational arena. Simultaneously Korean social movements are struggling with many obstacles to transnational activism. Korean social movements recognize a high necessity of overcoming tough challenges at various levels whiling forming alliances around, across, and even beyond the national border.