Conscription Policy (4) Possible Hypotheses

I have shown some differences between Taiwan and South Korea in their conscription policies in my previous postings. I asked the professors that I met why there are such differences. The summary of their and my speculations is as follows.1. The influence of the authoritarian regime of the past in Korea (pointed out by a Korean professor): the military service system served the need to suppress riots in maintaining internal security during Park’s authoritarian regime. Since then, the fear for instability in society remains significant. However, since Taiwan also experienced an authoritarian regime for a long period of time, more details need to be studied in order to learn more concrete differences between the Korean experience of authoritarianism and the Taiwanese one.2. Politics of National Identity: South Korean people have been maintaining a more continuous and stable national identity than the Taiwanese. Nationalism is a key element in both Korean politics and Taiwanese politics today. However, the current ruling party in Taiwan, the DPP, cannot utilize the military in their promotion of Taiwanese identity since the military had and still has a strong connection to the KMT. Because of the DPP’s attempt to separate its politics from the KMT rule, the role of the military in the promotion of nationalism is minimized.3. Reaction to the harsh class-based society in Korea (pointed out by a Korean professor): Korean people maintain a keen egalitarian sentiment in society as a result of inferiority complex found in the class-based society of the past. Further study on the difference between the class perception in Korea and that in Taiwan is required.4. The difference in geographical conditions (pointed out by a Taiwanese professor): While navy and air force play a much more important role in defending Taiwan from China’s potential attack, Koreans feel the need for a stronger army, and thus greater manpower for the defense from North Korean attacks. Such a difference in the military structure, in turn, has an impact on people’s perception of the military since army usually has a direct contact with people and more influence on society.5. Civil society and a diversified value system: there might be a difference in the kind or strength of civil society between the two societies. In other words, the extent to which the state dominates the value system of the people might be different. However, there are many people who have an instrumentalist perception of nationality in both societies, and thus maintain or seek dual citizenship. It is hard to measure how diversified the social value system is.Obviously I need to compile a literature review, build a theoretical framework and look more closely at social and historical contexts in both countries to develop this into an academic article. As I mentioned at the beginning, this was a brief overview of what I found over the summer. (End)