The rise and fall of nuclear phase-out in South Korea: German model and the dynamics of policy learning.
South Korea's nuclear energy policy has experienced sharp reversals over the past decade, shifting from a planned nuclear phase-out to renewed promotion. This article examines the drivers of these shifts with particular attention to the role of Germany's nuclear phase-out policy as both an inspirati...
| Published in: | Pacific Review Vol. 39; no. 1; pp. 208 - 231 |
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| Format: | Article |
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Taylor & Francis Ltd
Jan2026
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=190930745&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 190930745 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 09512748 5C0 jtl: Pacific Review issn: 09512748 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jan2026 vid: 39 iid: 1 pid: 377 pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd artinfo: ui: 190930745 10.1080/09512748.2025.2554364 ppf: 208 ppct: 23 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P size: 1.1MB tig: atl: The rise and fall of nuclear phase-out in South Korea: German model and the dynamics of policy learning. aug: au: Min, In Young affil: Centre for East Asian Studies, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany su: Policy diffusion Social norms Koreans Energy policy Energy shortages South Korea Germany sug: subj: South Korea Germany Policy diffusion Social norms Koreans Energy policy Energy shortages keyword: nuclear phase-out policy learning social norms ab: South Korea's nuclear energy policy has experienced sharp reversals over the past decade, shifting from a planned nuclear phase-out to renewed promotion. This article examines the drivers of these shifts with particular attention to the role of Germany's nuclear phase-out policy as both an inspiration and a foil. Drawing on scholarship on policy diffusion and social norms, I argue that while international policy models travel across borders, their interpretation and implementation are shaped by domestic political contestation and deeply rooted societal norms. In South Korea, Germany's decision to abandon nuclear power provided a powerful precedent for the Moon administration's phase-out policy, which gained traction amid rising safety concerns. Yet the enduring norm that nuclear energy is vital for economic development—reinforced by South Korea's export orientation and ambitions to sell reactors abroad—undermined this policy. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and Europe's subsequent energy crisis further shifted the policy discourse, turning Germany from role model to cautionary example. South Korea's case illustrates how global policy lessons can be refracted through domestic norms to produce divergent outcomes, and how the same international reference point can serve both as exemplar and foil over time. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y custom: Copyright of Pacific Review is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. item: Pacific Review holder: Taylor & Francis Ltd dt: @attributes: year: 2026 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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