ABSTRACT

Jiyoon Kim in Chapter 3 examines how South Korea’s political culture has affected political behavior and the process of democratization. South Korea has had a paradoxical outcome in which traditional Confucian culture, seemingly contradictory to democratic values, has profoundly affected the process of democratization by expediting economic development. The Confucian emphasis on education, an ethic of hard work, and obedience to social hierarchy has played a vital role in facilitating the process of economic growth that in turn became the bedrock of democratization. Kim argues that the economic crisis in 1997 was a watershed in South Korea’s political culture. In order to meet the IMF’s conditions, the Kim Dae-jung government adopted aggressive neoliberal economic policies that in turn led to a change in view of the young generation. Young people in today’s South Korea are quite different from previous generations who are still under the influence of Confucianism. The resulting post-modern issues and political cleavage have begun to come to the fore in Korean society. Kim maintains that this development is a positive factor toward a more mature democracy.