National and Societal Solidarity in Response to the Development and Changes in Science and Technology
Authors:   Korean Constitutional Law Asscciation, Kim Soyeon 
Published: February 2025

The welfare state is defined as a state that incorporates the ideal of social justice into its constitution. The realization of social justice refers to the establishment of a minimum standard of living that ensures a dignified life for all individuals, regardless of their abilities, and involves setting a measure for the minimum conditions necessary for human dignity. It also entails demanding that the state fulfill related social and political obligations. In this context, determining the standard for a minimum dignified life is, in essence, an extension of responsibility towards the socio-economic vulnerable. As such, the substantive freedom and equality that constitute the content of social justice are inherently linked to the concept of “solidarity.”
The concept of solidarity is a notion that has evolved and been defined in various ways throughout the development of the modern state. Similar to other disciplines, in legal theory, the concept of solidarity has been developed and applied as “a mode of action aimed at creating a state of justice, premised on morality.” However, in the context of constitutional law, solidarity is closely linked to the principle of the social state, which embodies the realization of social justice. Thus, it can be understood not merely as a moral concept but as a “mode of action in which collective or joint responsibilities are extended, based on human interdependence, to effectively realize human dignity.
When the concept of solidarity is understood in this way, solidarity in the context of scientific and technological advancement can be described as a “criterion or direction to be considered in determining the standards for the development of science and technology,” grounded in human interdependence and shared responsibility. When solidarity is conceived as a factor influencing the direction of scientific and technological progress, the next critical issue is how the content of solidarity is effectively realized. In this regard, the content can primarily be assessed based on the actors engaged in solidarity. Thus, it can be reduced to a discussion of “the form in which the state and society jointly bear responsibility for responding to the development and changes in science and technology.”
In a democratic constitutional state, the state is understood as the domain where state power is exercised, while society is understood as the realm where individuals have the freedom of self-expression, personal responsibility, and self-determination, beyond the reach of state power. In this context, solidarity between the state and society in the development of science and technology can be understood as a mode of action that reflects the shared responsibility of both the state and society, each operating within their respective spheres. When the state intervenes in the societal sphere, the solidarity between the state and society would be directed towards addressing the social disparities and inequalities arising in response to the development and changes in science and technology. On the other hand, when society intervenes in the state sphere, the solidarity between the state and society can be seen as a shared responsibility centered around societal control over the state's role in the utilization and management of scientific and technological risks.