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The New Political Order in South Korea
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15786 |
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Section : |
BOOK WORLD
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1 / 1989 |
1,895 Words |
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Martin L. Lasater Martin L. Lasater, formerly director of the Asian Studies
Center at the Heritage Foundation, is president of the Pacific
Council, based in Columbia, Maryland. |
POLITICAL CHANGE IN SOUTH KOREA
Ilpyong J. Kim and Young Whan Kihl, eds.
New York: Korean PWPA, 1988
263 pp., $17.95
Periodically in a nation's life, a moment arrives when the country stands at a historic crossroads to determine its future. Such a moment occurred in South Korea during 1986-88, when the Korean government and people elected to pursue a democratic political system despite a tradition of authoritarianism and unwillingness to compromise. Political Change in South Korea explores the background to this political crisis, examines the role played by major personalities and political institutions, and considers the impact of the crisis on the future of Korean politics.
An edited volume of several contributors, most of its chapters are revised papers presented in a 1986 scholarly conference on political change in South Korea sponsored by THE WORLD& I and Professors World Peace Academy, Inc. A few chapters were subsequently added to reflect developments from fall 1986 through spring 1988.
In a well-written overview surveying political challenges facing South Korea since the establishment of the Republic of Korea (ROK) on August 15, 1948, Kihl Young Whan argues that "Korea is a country in search of a new and stable political order." After reviewing the sometimes violent history of the First through Fifth republics (1948-1987), Kihl notes that for the first time in South Korea's history, a peaceful transition of power was made between outgoing President Chun Doo Hwan and newly elected Roh Tae Woo
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