Current rural development polices in Korea consist of three programs, namely: integrated rural community development, rural tourism development, and community based industry development. Within these areas, national and local policies have often concentrated on trying to encourage ‘bottom-up’ development revolving around the commodification of cultural or amenity resources. In important ways, the three categories of rural development programs are more of a community development program than an economic development program. In Korea, it is true to say that governmental decisionmaking is slowly being influenced in terms of community, self-reliance and self-help, which are gradually creeping into the discussion on rural development. I suggest that the planning process itself had to include broad public participation and partnership and bottom-up approaches, not merely the product of a planning office or consulting firm.