Democratization in Korea

The economy and society of the Republic of Korea has been radically transformed over recent decades. Rapid economic growth, industrialization and urbanization brought in their wake enormous social and educational changes and increased exposure to Western culture. Political and religious groups began to demand a more democratic political system. During the 1980s, in response to external factors as well as to social tensions at home, the government slowly embarked on a process of democratization. Since 1992, this has been unstoppable and a series of political and economic reforms, targeting the banking sector, the labour force and the commercial sector in general, have attempted to eradicate "corruption". As Stephen Kirby shows in this book, the democratization of the Korean political system raises the crucial question of whether economic development and consistently high rates of growth can be maintained in the face of a changing political and economic system.