Saemaul Undong (New Village Movement), was a community-driven development programme pursued during the 1970s which aimed to overcome rural poverty. Ultimately, the true benefits lay not in tangible achievements, but rather in the sweeping change in the people's mentality. A national confidence infused with a can-do spirit was built that transformed chronic pessimism into new hope, a long-term shared vision of a better life for all, and an infectious enthusiasm sustained by mutual cooperation.
