Understanding Korean Politics

Presents an indispensable survey of contemporary Korean politics.

Essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary Korea and East Asia, this book provides a comprehensive and balanced introduction to contemporary Korean politics. It explicates the great changes in South Korea, which has gone from being one of the poorest nations to a proud member of the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation while making the transition to democracy. The work focuses on the geopolitical and cultural setting, historical evolution, institutional foundation, dynamics of political leadership, and political and administrative processes of Korean politics. It also features chapters on political determinants of the rise and decline of the Korean economy, foreign and unification policy of South Korea, and political development and decay in North Korea.

"This book presents a complete overview of Korean politics including background material, current events and processes, and future prospects. This is a welcome addition to the Korean politics field, which has lacked such a comprehensive survey. Its contents go beyond purely introductory material, which makes it suitable not only for introductory Korean or East Asian politics courses but for fairly advanced comparative politics courses as well." -- HeeMin Kim, Florida State University

Contributors include Dong-suh Bark, Ki-shik S. J. Hahn, David C. Kang, Soong Hoom Kil, Woon-Tai Kim, Byung Chul Koh, Jung Bock Lee, Sunghack Lim, Chung-in Moon, and Sung Chul Yang.