South Korea underwent rapid economic development under a semi-military, virulently anti-communist government which banned trade unions and kept close checks on the economy. President Roe Tae Woo has, however, since 1987, introduced electoral and social reforms. Strikes and wage rises have followed, leading to a loss of competitive edge, and the growth of opposition parties has resulted in political stalemate. Robert E. Bedeski provides a thorough analysis of the institutions of government in South Korea and how they have been transformed by the introduction of political pluralism, and of the attempt to liberalize without undermining economic success. He also examines the new political parties and their role within the framework of the South Korean political system, as well as their social context. State reforms are compared with developments in Taiwan, the Phillipines, North Korea, China and the former Soviet Union. The major themes of state-building an deconomic development are thoroughly explored. The author also deals with South Korea's international environment and changing foreign policy.

On the Korean peninsula, there exist two sovereign states—the Republic of Korea (ROK or South Korea) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea)—both of whom hold separate membership at the United Nations. This book discusses the construction of "one Korea" and highlights the potential benefits of unification for the Koreans and the international community. Arguing that Korean unification is intrinsically international in nature, the authors outline how the process and outcome would impact upon the policies of the four major powers—the U.S., China, Russia, and Japan. In addition, the authors highlight the possible far-reaching repercussions of unification on the political and economic dynamics of Northeast Asia. Making a case for the two Koreas and interested powers to plan and orchestrate their acts for sustained peace and gradual unification on the Korean peninsula, this book examines the Korean question and the related issue of peace building in Northeast Asia from a global perspective. It will be of interest to students and scholars researching politics and international relations.

Featuring contributions by some of the leading experts in Korean studies, this book examines the political content of Kim Jong-Il's regime maintenance, including both the domestic strategy for regime survival and North Korea's foreign relations with South Korea, Russia, China, Japan, and the United States. It considers how and why the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) became a "hermit kingdom" in the name of Juche (self-reliance) ideology, and the potential for the barriers of isolationism to endure. This up-to-date analysis of the DPRK's domestic and external policy linkages also includes a discussion of the ongoing North Korean nuclear standoff in the region.

Published in 1950: Here is the first comprehensive study of Korea since its liberation and division. Written by an outstanding American authority with long personal knowledge of the country, it provides an analysis of the American and Russian military occupations, the efforts of the United Nations to deal with the problem of Unification of the country, the political and economic policies followed in the northern and southern regimes, and an appraisal of the U.S. program of economic and military aid to South Korea.

Koreans historically consider their country as a victim of foreign powers – sometimes seeing themselves as a shrimp among whales. In fact, Korea's national status has to a great extent been determined by the historical rivalries between the great powers. This collection of essays, produced over time by one of Korea's leading political scientists, probes many of the fundamental post-Korean-War issues South Korea has wrestled with in the context of its foreign policy positions, not least the question of how it actually defines its foreign policy, its relationship with the United States, and the ever-present security issues. Other essays examine the role of the US on the Korean peninsula after the end of the Cold War; what policy directions South Korea should take towards North Korea; what is North Korea's security policy; and what are the conditions for reunification. This thought-provoking volume provides a valuable overarching framework towards a more informed understanding of how South Korea's relationship with the outside world has evolved in the twentieth century and the manner in which it is likely to do business in the twenty-first.

As Korea enters a hopeful new chapter in its history, this timely book, with contributions by distinguished experts in the field, addresses the fragility of the political, economic, and military balance within the two Koreas and in Northeast Asia. It provides in-depth analysis of the principal factors that gave rise to the persisting Cold War on the Korean peninsula, and successfully unravels many aspects of the complicated domestic and economic dynamics of the two Koreas, the patterns of relationship between the two rival states, as well as their changing relationships with the United States and other major powers.

Europe and Asia are two major centres for the development of multi-polar and multi-lateral relations. This volume explores the substance and manner in which the member countries of the EU and their Asian counterparts interact at bilateral, multi-lateral and inter-regional levels.

This paper predicts an alternate scenario to Korean reunification to those currently being discussed in and out of South Korea. Much of what has been written discusses the demise of the present North Korean government along a spectrum of turbulence, from gradual decay to violent implosion. The predicted results also vary from peaceful absorption by the South Korean government to a 'war of desperation' scenario precipitated by the decaying Northern regime in a last ditch effort to retain power. This paper explores a scenario where the two Koreas end up as secondary players in the future of the Korean peninsula. The primary regional actor to emerge will be China. As the ascendant regional power, China will shape events on the Korean Peninsula to fit its own future vision of Northeast Asia. It is further proposed that this Chinese vision will seek to maintain the peaceful division of North and South Korea in the short term (10 to 20 years) following the demise of the present North Korean government. China is seen, in this scenario, as moving unilaterally, on the basis of long-standing agreements with North Korea, into North Korea as the government implodes. It is in the Chinese interest to prevent the uncontrolled rise of a new, potentially powerful reunified Korean regional competitor. Additionally, China will seek to minimize United States' influence in the region, For obvious historical, military and economic reasons, the Japanese desire to maintain the geopolitical and economic status quo will cause them to play a supporting role in the Chinese effort. This move, together with its predictable control of the Spratly Islands oil and natural gas reserves, an already powerful military, and rapidly growing economy, will put China in a position to much more effectively influence the future of the region.

Throughout the 1990s, North Korea has operated under a skeptical international eye, due largely to the countrys rigorous self-imposed isolation, its on-going confrontation with South Korea, a controversial nuclear arms program, and the near-total collapse of its economy. North Koreas leaders have chosen to face the world with its Stalinist political culture and ideological framework intact, for better or worseand by most reports, almost exclusively for the worst. How did this situation come to be, and what are its consequences? In The Guerilla Dynasty, Adrian Buzo gives us an accessible, up-to-date, and rigorously researched account of the political, economic, and foreign policy developments in North Korea since 1945.

Constitutional Handbook on Korean Unification(I): Introduction Constitutional Handbook on Korean Unification(II): Political and Social Issues Constitutional Handbook on Korean Unification(III): Law Issues Constitutional Handbook on Korean Unification(IV): Economic Issues