Local government administration and biopolitics: Surrounding conflicts over the construction of mosque in South Korea

Abstract

In South Korea, an unprecedented conflict between natives and migrant Muslims has erupted over the construction of a mosque in Daegu's Buk-gu district. This study examines the role of the local government in this conflict by applying Foucault's concepts of biopolitics and security dispositifs. Specifically, it analyzes how the local government's administrative actions, such as issuing a stop-work order, reflect power dynamics between the native South Korean population and migrant Muslims. The study finds that the administration's use of biopower, facilitated by administrative inaction and a policy vacuum, favors the native population and disadvantages the Muslim community. Based on these findings, the study recommends that, in an era of decentralization, the central-local government relationship should be strengthened, and horizontal governance frameworks should be established to address conflicts and ensure more inclusive treatment of migrant populations.