The purpose of this paper is to study the origin of ‘self-help’, the ideologyof The Saemaul Movement(새마을運動) in South Korea in the 1970’s andSelf-reliance Campaign in North Korea since the late 1950s. Specifically, I tryto relate the ideology of ‘self-help’ with the discourse on ‘self-help’(自力更生論)of colonial Korea in the 1930’s. After the World WarⅡ, Korea was divided into South Korea and North Koreain 1948. Even though each country has had different ideologies as a system ofgovernment, a ruling ideology of Park Jung-hee(朴正熙, 1917∼1979) in the 1970’swas similar to that of Kim Il-sung(金日成, 1912∼1994) in the late 1950s. Itis important that both of Korea used the ideology was related with the legacyof colonial Korea in the 1930’s. Because We could founded the origin of ‘self-help’ideology in colonial Korea in the 1930’s. ‘Self-help’, a sprit of The Saemaul Movement in South Korea in the 1970’s,was affected by a personal experience of Park Jung-hee in the colonial Korea,1937~1945. Park Jung-hee, a teacher at the Mungyeong(聞慶) elementary school,played a major role in The Rural Revitalization Campaign(農村振興運動) whichis a rural development campaign of colonial Korea in the 1930’s. His experienceof that time was represented with The Saemaul Movement as a kind of ruraldevelopment campaign in South Korea in the 1970’s. It is important that self-help,the ideology of The Saemaul Movement, was same as that of colonial Korea inthe 1930’s. ‘Self-help’, as a ruling ideology of North Korea since the late 1950’s, was also affected by a personal experience of Kim IL-sung in Manchuria(滿洲) in the1930’s. In fact, the discourse on ‘Self-help’ in North Korea since the late 1950swas affected by Maoism(毛澤東主義) in The Chinese Communist Party. Themajority of Korean communists worked with the Chinese Communist Party inNorth China and Manchuria in the 1930’s. Kim IL-sung, a member of the ChineseCommunist Party, resisted Japanese imperialism. In conclusion, it is originated from ‘self-help’ of colonial Korea in the 1930’sthat ideology of The Saemaul Movement in South Korea in the 1970’s andSelf-reliance Campaign in North Korea since the late 1950’s. I found out that‘Self-help’, a national ideology of both Korea in modernization was the continuityof a ruling ideology of Japanese imperialism in the 1930’s.