South Korea's economic miracle is a well-known story. However, today Korea is confronting a new set of internal and external risks, which may foreshadow the next crisis. The Korean economy has been struggling with the faltering growth momentum and the rise of unprecedented socio-economic problems over recent years well before the pandemic crisis. After abrupt downshifts to markedly slower growth in the early 2000s, economic growth has continued to decelerate. Koreans are grappling with slow income growth, all time-high household debt, high youth unemployment, inequality, and social polarization. Politics is in disarray and is incapable of directing social discourse for the common good. Rapid population aging along with the world's lowest fertility rates stokes fears of Japanification. Simultaneously, disruptive technologies and fast-changing business environment such as the rise of China clash with a range of long-standing structural problems. The contemporary challenges are radically different from those seen in the early stages of industrialization. There are multiple risks that threaten to self-perpetuate low or stagnant growth over the next decade or so, if not an outright financial crisis. Motivated by these latest developments, this book seeks to provide a timely and in-depth analysis of key current issues and foreseeable challenges of the economy, with a provocative reassessment of its future. Based on extensive new empirical works, it examines the underlying causes of the socio-economic problems. In a constructive spirit, it puts in perspective what would constitute critical elements of ideal policy solutions and the direction of the future government's role.

South Korea's economic miracle is a well-known story. However, today Korea is confronting a new set of internal and external risks, which may foreshadow the next crisis. The Korean economy has struggled with a faltering growth momentum and the rise of unprecedented socio-economic problems well before the pandemic crisis. After abrupt downshifts to markedly slower growth in the early 2000s, economic growth has continued to decelerate. Koreans are grappling with slow income growth, all time-high household debt, high youth unemployment, inequality, and social polarization. Politics is in disarray and is incapable of directing social discourse for the common good. Rapid population aging along with the world's lowest fertility rates stokes fears of Japanification. Simultaneously, disruptive technologies and a fast-changing business environment, including the rise of China, clash with a range of long-standing structural problems. The contemporary challenges are radically different from those seen in the early stages of industrialization. There are multiple risks that threaten to self-perpetuate low or stagnant growth over the next decade or so, if not an outright financial crisis. Motivated by these latest developments, this book seeks to provide a timely and in-depth analysis of key current issues and foreseeable challenges of the economy, with a provocative reassessment of its future. Based on extensive new empirical works, it examines the underlying causes of the socio-economic problems. In a constructive spirit, it puts into perspective what would constitute critical elements of ideal policy solutions and the direction of the future government's role.

Strategic Asia 2004?05: Confronting Terrorism in the Pursuit of Power examines the U.S.-led war on terrorism and assesses its impact for the grand strategies of major Asian powers. Confronting Terrorism in the Pursuit of Power is the fourth edition in the Strategic Asia series, and this year's volume is composed of five country studies, four regional studies, and four topical studies.Individual country studies analyze the United States, China, Japan, Korea, and Russia. Regional studies cover Central, South, Southeast, and Southwest Asia. The four topical studies address how broader transnational issues impact regional, political, economic, and security dynamics. Topics for this year's program include: energy security in Asia, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, alternative futures for North Korea, and science and technology trends in Asia. All chapters examine the short- and long-term implications for U.S. interests in Asia, and aim to sharpen the ability of U.S. policymakers to craft effective and credible strategies toward the region.

New questions have jumped to the forefront for labor movements all over the world. Can workers regain the initiative against the tidal wave of corporate downsizings and government cutbacks? Can unions revive their ranks and reignite the public imagination? Is labor rising from the ashes? Rising from the Ashes? sets these crucial questions in global context, connecting and contrasting new developments in the United States to recent trends abroad - from Mexico to Asia, and from Canada to Eastern Europe.

"The authors in this volume agree with these leaders' judgment: nuclear terrorism represents today's gravest national security challenge. In the pages that follow, fourteen scholars, scientists, and practitioners consider how best to confront and combat this danger. Their articles address this challenge from all azimuths: from the strategic to tactical, from the ideological to technical, and from the historical to contemporary" -- p.7