ABSTRACT
As S. Korea’s phenomenal economic growth since 1960 had been largely powered by fossil fuels, most Koreans were accustomed to the modes of life entailed by the heavy usage of fossil fuels. Koreans accepted the idea ‘growth fi rst and resource conservation/environmental protection later’ as an unavoidable premise. Thus when Lee proposed to transform S. Korea from ‘brown’ to ‘green’, most Koreans met his proposal with skepticism. To the people who were accustomed to the idea of ‘either growth or green (but not both)’, the suggestion that one should and could pursue growth and green at the same time appeared to be a mere daydream.
