South Korea has been through important changes since its democratization in the late 1980s – most recently in 2016–2017 when the candlelight protests led to the ousting of Park Geun-hye and the election of Moon Jae-in. Taking a thematic approach to understanding South Korean democracy, each chapter in this textbook is written by a leading Korean expert on a different element of South Korean politics and government. Covering themes such as intergenerational differences, the instability of the party system, the role of the president, and the impact of the 2016 demonstrations, this is a vital and lively introduction to Korean politics. This systematic and nuanced approach helps you understand the past, present, and possible futures of South Korea’s democracy. It also helps in understanding South Korea’s system for the purposes of comparing it with other political systems.
The New Dynamics of Democracy in South Korea is an invaluable textbook for students of Korean politics, which will also be a useful resource for scholars of comparative democracy.
An Introduction to The New Dynamics of Democracy in South Korea , Chae-han Kim 1.Changing Regional Sentiment in South Korea, Byong-kuen Jhee 2.Generations and Their Political Differences in South Korea, Kyungmee Park 3.The Neutralization of Class Politics and New Conservative Hegemony in South Korea, Ji-Whan Yun 4.Cultural Foundation of Contentious Democracy in South Korea, Youngho Cho, Mi-son Kim, and Yong Cheol Kim 5.The Political Effects of Candlelight Protests on South Korean Democracy, Sung-jin Yoo 6.Why Do Parties Split and Merge in South Korea?, Jin-young Kwak 7.Legal Regulations in South Korean Politics, Won-taek Kang 8.Presidential Powers and Executive Dominance in Law Production in South Korea, Woojin Moon 9.Democratization, Institutions, and Welfare Politics in South Korea, Jae-jin Yang 10.Foreign Policy Dilemma in South Korean Democracy, Shin-wha Lee
Biography
Chae-Han Kim is Professor of Political Science and Director of the International Affairs Institute at Hallym University, South Korea.
‘South Korea’ is a dynamic and vibrant democracy that has drawn global attention in recent years, by the general public and academic scholars alike. A compilation of ten papers by the most prominent scholars in Korea, this book provides a broad understanding of the unique and the universal aspects of Korean politics. It details how politics in Korea exists as it is now, as well as how it has evolved. Suitable for education and research purposes, this book is the culmination of the efforts of the Korean Political Science Association with the financial support of the Korea Foundation.’– Seongyi Yun, The 2020 President of the Korean Political Science Association
