Korea’s Quest for Economic Democratization: Globalization, Polarization and Contention

Description

This book studies the sources of inequality in contemporary South Korea and the social and political contention this engenders. Korean society is becoming more polarized. Demands for ‘economic democratization’ and a fairer redistribution of wealth occupy centre-stage of political campaigns, debates and discourse. The contributions offer perspectives on this wide-ranging socio-political change by examining the transformation of organized labour, civil society, the emergence of new cleavages in society, and the growing ethnic diversity of Korea’s population. Bringing together a team of scholars on Korea’s transition and democratization, the story the books tells is one of a society acutely divided by the neo-liberal policies that accompanied and followed the Asian financial crisis. Taken together, the contributions argue that tackling inequalities are challenges that Korean policy-makers can no longer postpone. The solution, however, cannot be imposed, once again, from the top down, but needs to arise from a broader conversation including all segments of Korean society. The book is intended for a readership interested in South Korean politics specifically, and global experiences in transition more generally. Front Matter ....Pages i-xvii Hell Joseon: Polarization and Social Contention in a Neo-liberal Age (Youngmi Kim)....Pages 1-20 Globalization, Democracy and Social Polarization in South Korea (Hyug Baeg Im)....Pages 21-39 Democracy Disenchanted and Autocracy Glamorized in Korea (Doowon Suh)....Pages 41-62 Emerging Cleavages in Korean Society: Region, Generation, Ideology, and Class (Youngmi Kim, Sunhee Park)....Pages 63-88 Korea Tripartism in Retrospect (Hyug Baeg Im)....Pages 89-118 Labour Polarization: Labour Aristocracy Versus Irregular Workers in Post-development Korea (Hyung-A Kim)....Pages 119-139 Civil Society and Democracy in South Korea: A Reassessment (Antonio Fiori, Sunhyuk Kim)....Pages 141-170 The Parallax Visions of Economic Democracy in South Korea: A Critique (Albert L. Park)....Pages 171-207 Citizenship and Migration in South Korea. In the Forefront of Democracies? (Luicy Pedroza, Hannes B. Mosler)....Pages 209-232 Female Immigration by Cross-Border Marriage: A New Political Issue in South Korean Society (Kyungmi Kim)....Pages 233-255 The Coming Age of South Korea: Power, Influence and Implications (Virginie Grzelczyk)....Pages 257-279 Conclusion: The Promise of People-Led Change and the Prospect of a New Transition (Youngmi Kim)....Pages 281-296 Back Matter ....Pages 297-303