Saemaul Undong in Mongolia

A Korean Model of Rural Development as Third Neighbor Cooperation

Abstract

Purpose:
This study examines the role of South Korean Official Development Assistance (ODA) through the Saemaul Undong in Mongolia’s “Third Neighbor” policy, with a focus on its spatial and institutional effectiveness across different regions.

Methods:
This study adopts a qualitative research design based on document analysis and comparative case study methodology (Creswell, 2014). Data sources include reports from international organizations such as the World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Asian Development Bank, as well as academic journal articles.

This study adopts a qualitative research design because the objective is to analyze institutional and spatial dynamics rather than test causal relationships quantitatively (Creswell, 2014). The selection of Vietnam as a comparative case is based on its widely recognized success in adapting Saemaul Undong principles within a sedentary agricultural system (World Bank, 2022).

Results:
The findings show that Saemaul Undong has limited effectiveness in Mongolia’s nomadic pastoral regions due to mobility constraints and institutional legacies from the socialist period. However, the model demonstrates strong potential in northern agricultural provinces such as Selenge and Bulgan, where sedentary farming systems align with village-based development structures. Additionally, environmental pressures linked to the expansion of cashmere production highlight a “tragedy of the commons” dynamic, while human capital programs contribute to leadership development beyond rural infrastructure.

Conclusions:
The study concludes that Saemaul Undong is not inherently ineffective in Mongolia but has been applied in geographically unsuitable contexts. It proposes a bifurcated development strategy combining traditional village-based models in agricultural regions with mobile and digital approaches for nomadic pastoral areas, offering a more adaptive framework for future Mongolia and Republic of Korea cooperation.