In 1970, the Saemaul Undong (New Community Movement) was introduced that set out to modernize the countryside and their economies, in response to the growing wealth disparity with the richer urban areas. The Saemaul Undong encouraged communalism and the government provided free materials for locals to develop some infrastructure themselves, rather than relying totally on government-built infrastructure. The government also provided electricity and running water to farmers, built paved roads, and replaced thatched roofs with tin roofs. Reportedly, Park could not stand the sight of thatched roofs on farmers' homes, which for him was a sign of South Korea's backwardness, and their replacement reflected a personal obsession rather than a practical necessity. Controversially, the Saemaul Undong movement actively pushed a type of iconoclasm towards the "superstitions" in rural South Korea, leading many practitioners of Korean shamanism to be harassed and centuries old Korean traditions to be destroyed.