North Korea

North Korea
Author: Heonik Kwon
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2012-03-12
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1442215771

This timely, pathbreaking study of North Korea’s political history and culture sheds invaluable light on the country’s unique leadership continuity and succession. Leading scholars Heonik Kwon and Byung-Ho Chung begin by tracing Kim Il Sung’s rise to power during the Cold War. They show how his successor, his eldest son, Kim Jong Il, sponsored the production of revolutionary art to unleash a public political culture that would consolidate Kim’s charismatic power and his own hereditary authority. The result was the birth of a powerful modern theater state that sustains North Korean leaders’ sovereignty now to a third generation. In defiance of the instability to which so many revolutionary states eventually succumb, the durability of charismatic politics in North Korea defines its exceptional place in modern history. Kwon and Chung make an innovative contribution to comparative socialism and postsocialism as well as to the anthropology of the state. Their pioneering work is essential for all readers interested in understanding North Korea’s past and future, the destiny of charismatic power in modern politics, the role of art in enabling this power.

Politics in North and South Korea

Politics in North and South Korea
Author: Yangmo Ku
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2017-12-06
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1317236750

Politics in North and South Korea provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the political dynamics of the two Koreas. Giving equal weight to North and South Korea, the authors trace the history of political and economic development and international relations of the Korean peninsula, showing how South Korea became democratized and how Juche ideology has affected the establishment and operation of a totalitarian system in North Korea. Written in a straightforward, jargon free manner, this textbook utilizes both historical-institutional approaches and quantitative evidence to analyse the political dimensions of a wide variety of issues including: Legacies of early-twentieth-century Japanese colonial rule South Korean democratization and democratic consolidation South Korean diplomacy and North Korean nuclear crises The economic development of both North and South Korea The three-generation power succession in North Korea North Korean human rights issues Inter-Korean relations and reunification This textbook will be essential reading for students of Korean Politics and is also suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate courses on East Asian Politics, Asian Studies, and International Relations.

Top-Down Democracy in South Korea

Top-Down Democracy in South Korea
Author: Erik Mobrand
Publisher: University of Washington Press
Total Pages: 215
Release: 2019-04-19
Genre: History
ISBN: 0295745487

While popular movements in South Korea rightly grab the headlines for forcing political change and holding leaders to account, those movements are only part of the story of the construction and practice of democracy. In Top-Down Democracy in South Korea, Erik Mobrand documents another part – the elite-led design and management of electoral and party institutions. Even as the country left authoritarian rule behind, elites have responded to freer and fairer elections by entrenching rather than abandoning exclusionary practices and forms of party organization. Exploring South Korea’s political development from 1945 through the end of dictatorship in the 1980s and into the twenty-first century, Mobrand challenges the view that the origins of the postauthoritarian political system lie in a series of popular movements that eventually undid repression. He argues that we should think about democratization not as the establishment of an entirely new system, but as the subtle blending of new formal rules with earlier authority structures, political institutions, and legitimizing norms.

The Rule of Law in South Korea

The Rule of Law in South Korea
Author: Jongryn Mo
Publisher: Hoover Press
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2013-09-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0817948937

Expert contributors examine the challenges of fully implementing the rule of law in South Korea's fledgling democracy and market economy. The expert contributors detail the obstacles that must be overcome, such as corruption in politics and corporate governance and a deep-rooted cultural indifference to the rights of the individual, and offer suggestions on what can—and what should not—be done.

Understanding Korean Politics

Understanding Korean Politics
Author: Soong Hoom Kil
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Total Pages: 383
Release: 2010-03-10
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0791491013

Essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary Korea and East Asia, this book provides a comprehensive and balanced introduction to contemporary Korean politics. It explicates the great changes in South Korea, which has gone from being one of the poorest nations to a proud member of the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation while making the transition to democracy. The work focuses on the geopolitical and cultural setting, historical evolution, institutional foundation, dynamics of political leadership, and political and administrative processes of Korean politics. It also features chapters on political determinants of the rise and decline of the Korean economy, foreign and unification policy of South Korea, and political development and decay in North Korea.

Understanding Korean Public Administration

Understanding Korean Public Administration
Author: Kwang-Kook Park
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2016-06-17
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1317359895

Although much has been written about the Korean public administration, the international academic community has little knowledge about it as most of the literature has been written in Korean. This book aims to provide more accessible knowledge internationally by filling that gap, covering both the history and the current status of the Korean public administration. This book is a collaboration of many Korean public administration scholars and would appeal to those interested in the secrets of Korea’s rapid development in such a short span of time. Each chapter covers historical contexts, key to understanding its public administration and an important aspect as Korea is a fast changing society. The book takes on a more pragmatic approach rather than to put the Korean experiences into the western theory. Each chapter therefore provides an extensive discussion on the lessons-learned and practical implications.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding North Korea

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding North Korea
Author: C. Kenneth Quinones
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 452
Release: 2003
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781592571697

In this accessible guide, readers will find unmatched expert analysis of the volatile situation in North Korea, along with answers to frequently asked questions. Covered topics include: ¬ North Korea's geography, people, industry, political systems, and government ¬ The history of the country, from myths to kingdoms, including Japan's colonial rule and its effects ¬ The dictator, Kim Jong Il, and his father, Kim Il Sung ¬ The possibility of reunification with South Korea ¬ Options for international involvement

State and Society in Contemporary Korea

State and Society in Contemporary Korea
Author: Hagen Koo
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2018-07-05
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1501731769

No detailed description available for "State and Society in Contemporary Korea".

South Korean Social Movements

South Korean Social Movements
Author: Gi-Wook Shin
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 562
Release: 2011-06-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1136708057

This book explores the evolution of social movements in South Korea by focusing on how they have become institutionalized and diffused in the democratic period. The contributors explore the transformation of Korean social movements from the democracy campaigns of the 1970s and 1980s to the rise of civil society struggles after 1987. South Korea was ruled by successive authoritarian regimes from 1948 to 1987 when the government decided to re-establish direct presidential elections. The book contends that the transition to a democratic government was motivated, in part, by the pressure from social movement groups that fought the state to bring about such democracy. After the transition, however, the movement groups found themselves in a qualitatively different political context which in turn galvanized the evolution of the social movement sector. Including an impressive array of case studies ranging from the women's movement, to environmental NGOs, and from cultural production to law, the contributors to this book enrich our understanding of the democratization process in Korea, and show that the social movement sector remains an important player in Korean politics today. This book will appeal to students and scholars of Korean studies, Asian politics, political history and social movements.

Public Administration and Policy in Korea

Public Administration and Policy in Korea
Author: Keun Namkoong
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 323
Release: 2017-07-06
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1351847597

The present Korean public administration and policy system has shown very significant differences compared to the system in 1970s. This book provides a comprehensive and holistic view on the development of Korean public policy and administration. Instead of dichotomizing the policy and administration, this book integrates two fields to provide a more holistic view on the Korean public sector. The book also attempts to overcome simplified explanations on the developmental state theory. The book aims to explain who the key actors are during the post-democratization period, how the administrative systems reform, and what kinds of social problems are transformed into public policies. This explanation suggests that the role of government shifts from a dominant actor to an actor within a complex network governance. This book will be a useful reference to anyone who wishes to learn more about the experience of the Korean development and the role of administration and policy.