This paper attempts to analyze the characteristics and causes of the Korean ecological alternative movement and its theoretical, practical implications. The characteristics of ecological alternative movement are as follows. Its major proponents are conscientious pro-democracy activists and ecology-conscious farmers and housewives. It sets high value on the efforts to transcend capitalism, industrialism and the state-orientation and to form a cooperative and mutually beneficial community for peace and life. It also puts greater emphasis on the efforts to spread pro-environmental culture and life through face-to-face relationships. The reason why this movement has spread after the late 1990s is because the state-driven democracy faced its limitations amid the neo-liberal globalization, and civic groups failed to redress such problems. The ecological alternative movement was the result of the efforts of the community members to defend their own life in face of the structural failure of the dominant social paradigm.