These chapters by eight Korea specialists present a new approach to human rights issues in Korea. Instead of using an external and purely contemporary standard, the authors work from within Korean history, treating the successive phases of Korea's modern century to examine the uneasy fate of human rights and some of the ideas of human rights as they have developed in the Korean context. Beginning with the Independence Club of the late nineteenth century and continuing through to the constitutional and judicial structures underlying the Sixth Republic Government of Roh Tae Woo in South Korea, these papers illuminate the sometimes complex interactions between modern Korean human-rights issues and the legacies of Korean culture and colonial occupation.The final sections deal with the usefulness and appropriateness of U.S. policies toward human rights in South Korea and comparatively with the overall issues raised in the volume.

Drawing on previously unused or underutilized archival sources, Human Rights and Transnational Democracy in South Korea offers the first account of the historical intersection between South Korea's democratic transition and the global human rights boom in the 1970s.

The growing importance of the Korean economy in the global arena and the spread of the so-called 'Korean wave' in Asia mean there is an increasing desire to understand contemporary Korean Society. To this end, this book provides a critical and progressive analysis of the diverse issues that impact on and shape contemporary Korean society at both local and national levels. The contributors address issues and movements which include: The state and regime Human rights Gender Civil society and social movements Culture Religion Domestic and migrant labour Welfare The chapters in this volume provide a critical perspective on Korean society, and draw upon interdisciplinary research from across the social sciences. With contributions from leading Korean scholars and academics from around the world, this is a welcome addition to the growing field of Korean Studies, and will be of great interest to students and scholars interested in Korean studies, Korean and Asian culture and society, and Asian studies more generally.

Has South Korea accomplished democratic consolidation since the Constitution was revised in 1987? Whereas political freedom has improved, the NSL is generally pointed out as the main obstacle to full freedom but it is not the only one to guarantee respect for human rights. Since full respect for human rights is not guaranteed, democratic consolidation has not been achieved. This book analyzes the issue based on the state of human rights that are an important part of democracy. The starting points are the 1948 UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 1987 South Korean Constitution and the 2001 National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Act which are empirically tested. Definitions of democratic consolidation are applied. The study first investiga- tes legislation and human rights institutions, including the National Security Law (NSL), the Con-stitutional Court, the NHRC, adherence to international human rights law and the Universal Periodic Review. Then the impact of inter-Korean relations on human rights are reviewed based on the NSL, dispatches of leaflets across the border and conscientious objectors. Finally, freedom of expression, assembly and association, including the state of sexual minorities, trials of ex-presidents, death penalty, human trafficking and torture are studied.