Seongjin Jeong: “Maoism in South Korea: Focusing on Park Hyun-Chae's Theory of National Economy”

Abstract: In this presentation, the presenter will examine the economic thought of Park Hyun-Chae (1934–1995)—a leading leftist economist in South Korea—as a case study to demonstrate the influence of Maoism within the post-liberation South Korean leftist camp and to analyze its theoretical and political effects from a Marxist perspective. Maoist-specific theories—such as the theory of contradiction, the semi-colonial and semi-feudal society thesis, the comprador/national capitalist distinction, the anti-imperialist people's democratic revolution strategy, and the doctrine of self-reliance—were core elements of Park's economic thought, namely the “Theory of National Economy” (Minjok Gyeongje-ron). In this light, Park’s economic thought can be characterized as a South Korean variant of Maoism. This aspect has been overlooked in the existing literature, which has primarily debated whether the "NL aspect" (Kim Il-sungism) or the "PD aspect" (Marxism-Leninism [Stalinism]) is predominant in his thought. However, Maoism, along with Kim Il-sungism, is a variant of Stalinism that stands in fundamental opposition to Marx’s critique of political economy and post-capitalist thought. It shares the chronic dilemmas inherent in Stalinism (such as economic determinism, stagnationism, catastrophism, the two-stage revolution strategy, socialism in one country, party-state-centrism, and state-capitalist primitive accumulation), all of which were directly transferred into Park’s economic thought. The reason Park's “Theory of National Economy” failed to elucidate the mechanisms and contradictions of contemporary South Korean capitalist development, and fell short of providing a viable perspective for post-capitalist transformation, stems from its Maoist and Stalinist origins.
The lecture will be in hybrid format.
https://uio.zoom.us/j/65536983928
Meeting ID: 655 3698 3928

BIO: Seongjin Jeong (1957– ) is currently a Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Economics at Gyeongsang National University, Republic of Korea, where he taught for 38 years before retiring in 2022. He is widely regarded as one of the leading Marxist economists in South Korea. He founded the journal Marxism 21 as well as the Department of Political Economy at Gyeongsang National University, which specializes in interdisciplinary graduate studies in Marxism. He also led a major, South Korean government-funded international research project on Marxism for over twenty years. His current research interests include the empirical Marxian economic study of the Korean economy, textological studies of Marx’s economic works, and designing post-capitalist alternatives for Korea within the global and East Asian contexts. His representative books—including co-authored and co-edited volumes—feature Marx and the Korean Economy (ChaekGalPi, 2005), Marx and Trotsky (Hanul, 2006), Marx and the World Economy (ChaekGalPi, 2015), 21C Marx Economics (Sanzini, 2020), Marxist Perspectives on South Korea in the Global Economy (Routledge, 2016), Return of Marxian Macro-dynamics in East Asia (Emerald, 2017), Varieties of Alternative Economic Systems (Routledge, 2017), The Marx Revival (Cambridge University Press, 2020), Reexamining Engels’s Legacy in the 21st Century (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021), State Capitalism and Development in East Asia since 1945 (Brill, 2023), and Capitalism and Postcapitalism in East Asia: Marxist Perspectives (Routledge, forthcoming).