The purpose of this research is to highlight the fact that reforestation in Korea was successful owing to the former President Park Chung-Hee’s driving force combined with the scientist Hyun Sin-Kyu’s scientific researches.
When Hyun began research on forest tree breeding in 1953, he chose poplars as his research subject after considering the government’s goal. Here, we can say that political power did not demand anything of Hyun but he took advantage of political power for scientific purposes. In other words, the relations between science and politics at that time were such that scientists were the ones who always took scientific initiatives and dominated in the scientific field.
However, when Park Chung-Hee successfully acquired power in 1961, the relations between science and politics were altered, subsequently influencing Hyun’s initiatives. While Hyun continued to attract politics to pursue his scientific goals, the new government only wanted to support scientific research in areas in which it was interested. For this reason, Hyun developed xPopulus albaglandulosa, a poplar species that met with the government’s requirements. During the Park administration, science and politics became closer and more unified.
However, the balance of this union was upset when President Park declared the Yu-sin constitution. Park not only possessed strong political power; he also took charge of the scientific field and took away scientific initiatives. Despite Hyun’s vehement opposition, the government promoted widespread forestation with xPopulus albaglandulosa and eventually succeeded in the reforestation that Park so desired.
Thus, it can be said that Hyun’s scientific endeavor and Park’s political efforts realized reforestation in Korea in the 1970s through various stages of confrontation, union, and subordination.