The Saemaul Spirit
The Saemaul spirit is built on the three pillars of hard work, self-help and cooperation, which were common behavioral indicators that could easily be put into practice by all people.The villages that yielded outstanding achievements from Saemaul projects were those with villagers with a strong sense of self-reliance who worked industriously and cooperated with each other.
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Hard Work
refers to diligence, persistence and frugality, as well as the indomitable frontier spirit to put those values into practice.
Diligence and industriousness are the basic values that underlie social development. -
Self-help
is the attitude where one does not rely on others or pass responsibility to others, but makes one’s best efforts in fulfilling their roles.
The concept includes a sense of self-reliance, ownership, confidence and duty.
At the same time, it is a practical virtue for overcoming oneself by being in control of one’s own destiny. -
Cooperation
is a community spirit of co-existence and mutual consideration.
Through cooperation, work can be done more efficiently and productively, and common goals can be reached.
Furthermore, cooperation leads to harmony and unity among people who feel rewarded and proud of achievements accomplished as a result of cooperation.