South Korea: The Transformation of Citizenship and the State-Nation Nexus

The phrase odecoupling of nation and stateo has increasing currency in discussions of the transformation of citizenship and the state-people connection in this age of global migration. This study questions the soundness of characterising the current transformation in those terms. Asserting that the nexus between state and nation is being renegotiated and readjusted rather than disconnected or attenuated, the study highlights the multifaceted and multi-dimensional character of the state-nation nexus by introducing the case of the Republic of Korea. In so doing, the study inquires into, and throws light upon: (i) Korea's (re)definition of the boundaries of citizenship in coping with its existence as a divided nation and the challenges posed by an expanded influx of North Koreans; (ii) the country's evolving policy of diaspora engagement and vision of transnational nationhood; and (iii) the unity and opposition between territory and people as demonstrated by contestations surrounding the political participation of non-resident citizens and non-citizen residents. By analysing the experience of this particular nation-state, this study seeks to contribute to a nuanced understanding of the multiple realities that make up global transformation and the transnational dynamics that reshape the national order of things.