The Korean Peninsula In Transition

Since the 1980s the Korean peninsula has been in a state of transition. Forged by the Cold War, the politico-economic systems of North and South Korea as well as the international system of Northeast Asia are in a state of flux. Apart from identifying the main aspects of the transition taking place, this volume explains the sources of change and continuity, and relates the empirical trends from Korea to the contemporary debates in the social sciences.

At the dawn of the twenty-first century, both North and South Korea find their politics, economies, and societies in transition. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the north and the Republic of Korea in the south have coexisted for the past fifty years, since the founding of their republics in 1948, though conflicts between the two systems have persisted. Whether the newly appointed leader of North Korea and the newly elected president of South Korea can maintain stability and peace on the Korean peninsula is uncertain. In this volume, thirteen experts examine the historical, cultural, social, and political aspects of the Koreas in transition and their implications for U.S. policy.

Following the death of Kim Jong Il, North Korea has entered a period of profound transformation laden with uncertainty. This authoritative book brings together the world's leading North Korea experts to analyze both the challenges and prospects the country is facing. Drawing on the contributors' expertise across a range of disciplines, the book examines North Korea's political, economic, social, and foreign policy concerns. Considering the implications for Pyongyang's transition, it focuses especially on the transformation of ideology, the Worker's Party of Korea, the military, effects of the Arab Spring, the emerging merchant class, cultural infiltration from the South, Western aid, and global economic integration. The contributors also assess the impact of North Korea's new policies on China, South Korea, the United States, and the rest of the world. Comprehensive and deeply knowledgeable, their analysis is especially crucial given the power consolidation efforts of the new leadership underway in Pyongyang and the implications for both domestic and international politics. Contributions by: Nicholas Anderson, Charles Armstrong, Bradley Babson, Victor Cha, Bruce Cumings, Nicholas Eberstadt, Ken Gause, David Kang, Andrei Lankov, Woo Young Lee, Liu Ming, Haksoon Paik, Kyung-Ae Park, Terence Roehrig, Jungmin Seo, and Scott Snyder.

This edited volume brings together the work of ten distinguished scholars and leading experts on Korean politics to critically analyze the key factors and issues that are shaping a newly emerging security regime on and around the Korean peninsula. The Korean security regime is expected to undergo a swift structural change in the coming years, given new trilateral U.S.-South Korea-Japan relations, U.S.-Japan security cooperation, and increasing rivalry between China and the U.S. and China and Japan. North Korea's most recent initiatives to reach out to the international community have resulted in historic agreements on diplomatic normalization talks with the U.S. and Japan in March 2000. These talks and the first high level visit by North Korean officials to the United States will restructure the security dynamics on the Korean peninsula.

As Asian countries emerge as global economic powers, many undergo fundamental political transformations. In Korean Democracy in Transition: A Rational Blueprint for Developing Societies, HeeMin Kim evaluates the past thirty years of political change in South Korea, including the decision of the authoritarian government to open up the political process in 1987 and the presidential impeachment of 2004. Kim uses rational choice theory—which holds that individuals choose to act in ways that they think will give them the most benefit for the least cost—to explain events central to South Korea’s democratization process. Kim’s theoretical and quantitative analysis provides a context for South Korea’s remarkable transformation and offers predictions of what the future may hold for developing nations undergoing similar transitions. Although there are studies in the field of Korean politics that provide an overview of this important period, there are none that offer the theoretical and analytical rigor of this study. Combining theoretical perspectives with policy-relevant discussion, Korean Democracy in Transition sheds new light on the Korean model of democratization and makes a significant contribution to the field of comparative politics.