Editor: Youngmi Kim
Author: Albert L Park, Antonio Fiori, Doowon Suh, Hannes B Mosler, Hyug Baeg Im, Hyung-A Kim, Kyungmi Kim, Luicy Pedroza, Sunhee Park, Sunhyuk Kim, Virginie Grzelczyk, Youngmi Kim
Publisher: Palgrave, 2017
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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.
Source: publisher’s website
Contents
- Hell Joseon: Polarization and Social Contention in a Neo-liberal Age | Youngmi Kim
- Globalization, Democracy and Social Polarization in South Korea | Hyug Baeg Im
- Democracy Disenchanted and Autocracy Glamorized in Korea | Doowon Suh
- Emerging Cleavages in Korean Society: Region, Generation, Ideology, and Class | Youngmi Kim, Sunhee Park
- Korea Tripartism in Retrospect | Hyug Baeg Im
- Labour Polarization : Labour Aristocracy Versus Irregular Workers in Post-development Korea | Hyung-A Kim
- Civil Society and Democracy in South Korea: A Reassessment | Antonio Fiori, Sunhyuk Kim
- The Parallax Visions of Economic Democracy in South Korea: A Critique | Albert L. Park
- Citizenship and Migration in South Korea. In the Forefront of Democracies? | Luicy Pedroza, Hannes B. Mosler
- Female Immigration by Cross-Border Marriage: A New Political Issue in South Korean Society | Kyungmi Kim
- The Coming Age of South Korea: Power, Influence and Implications | Virginie Grzelczyk
- Conclusion: The Promise of People-Led Change and the Prospect of a New Transition | Youngmi Kim