A Country Study: South Korea

• South Korea
• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• Preface
• Country Profile - Visit new updated Profile (PDF)
  • Country
  • Geography
  • Society
  • Economy
  • Transportation and Telecommunications
  • Government and Politics
  • National Security
• Introduction

• Chapter 1 - Historical Setting (Chong-Sik Lee)
  • Origins of the Korean Nation
  • The Three Kingdoms Period
  • The Evolution of Korean Society
    • Silla
    • Koryo
  • The Choson Dynasty
  • Characteristics of Society Under Dynasties
    • Cultural Expression
    • Korean Identity
    • Political and Social Institutions
  • Korea Under Japanese Rule
  • World War II and Korea
  • South Korean Under United States Occupation, 1945-48
    • Economy and Society
    • Establishment of the Republic of Korea
  • The Korean War, 1950-53
  • The Syngman Rhee Era, 1946-60
    • The Political Environment
    • Society under Rhee
    • The Postwar Economy
  • The Democratic Interlude
  • South Korea Under Park Chung Hee, 1961-79
    • The Military in Politics
    • Economic Development
    • Society under Park
    • Foreign Relations
      • Relations with North Korea
      • Relations with Japan
      • Relations with the United States
  • The Transition
    • The Democratic Republican Party
    • The New Democratic Party
  • Students in 1980
  • General Hun Doo Hwan Takes Over
    • The Kwangju Uprising
    • The Chun Regime
    • The 1980 Constitution
    • Purges
    • Chun's "Cultural Revolution"
    • Economic Performance
    • Foreign Policy
      • United States
      • Japan
      • China and the Soviet Union
    • The Demise of the Chun Regime

• Chapter 2 - The Society and Its Environment (Donald M. Seekins)
  • Physical Environment
    • Land Area and Borders
    • Topography and Drainage
    • Climate
  • Population
    • Population Trends
    • Population Settlement Patterns
    • Urbanization
    • Koreans Living Overseas
  • Social Structure and Values
    • Traditional Social Structure
    • The Emergence of a Modern Society
    • Social Classes in Contemporary South Korea
    • Traditional Family Life
    • Family and Social Life in the Cities
    • Changing Role of Women
  • Cultural Identity
    • Korea and Japan
    • The Korean Language
  • Education
    • Primary and Secondary Schools
    • Higher Education
    • College Student Activism
  • Religion
    • Religious Traditions
      • Shamanism
      • Daoism and Buddhism
      • Christianity
      • New Religions
    • Religion in Contemporary South Korea
  • Public Health and Welfare
    • Health Conditions
    • Health Care and Social Welfare

• Chapter 3 - The Economy (Daniel Metraux)
  • The Japanese Role in Korea's Economic Development
  • The Government Role in Economic Development
    • Industrial Policies
    • Economic Plans
    • Revenues and Expenditures
  • The Government, and Public and Private Corporations
    • The Origins and Development of Chaebol
    • The Role of Public Enterprise
    • Pohang Iron and Steel Company
    • Korea Electric Power Corporation
  • Financing Development
  • Industry
    • Steel
    • Electronics
    • Shipbuilding
    • Automobiles and Automotive Parts
    • Armaments
    • Construction
    • Textiles and Footwear
    • Chemicals
  • Energy
  • Agriculture
    • Major Crops
    • Forestry and Fishing
    • The Agricultural Crisis of the Late 1980s
    • Prospects
  • Service Industries
    • Money and Banking
    • Small and Medium-Sized Businesses
  • The Labor Force
    • Wages and Living Conditions
    • Industrial Safety
  • Transportation and Telecommunications
    • Roads
    • Subways and Railroads
    • Civil Aviation
    • Telecommunications
  • Foreign Economic Relations
    • Aid, Loans, and Investment
    • Foreign Trade Policy
    • Exports and Imports
  • Korea in the Year 2000
    • The Setting
    • The Role of Science and Technology
    • The Economic Future

• Chapter 4 - Government and Politics (William Shaw)
  • The Constitutional Framework
  • The Government
    • The Legislature
    • The Executive
    • The State Council
    • The Presidential Secretariat
    • The Judiciary
    • The Civil Service
    • Local Administration
  • Political Dynamics
    • Compromise and Reform: July-December 1987
    • Events in 1988
    • Returning to the Politics of National Security, 1989
    • Parties and Leaders
    • Interest Groups
    • Political Extremism and Political Violence
  • Human Rights
  • The Media (Roy U.T. Kim)
  • Foreign Policy
    • Organization and Operation
    • Basic Goals and Accomplishments
    • Relations with the United States
    • Relations with the Soviet Union
    • Relations with Japan
    • Relations with China
    • Relations with North Korea
    • Relations with International Organizations and the Third World
    • Future Prospects

• Chapter 5 - National Security (Rodney P. Katz)
  • Development of the Armed Forces
    • Koguryo, Silla, and Koryo Kingdoms
    • The Choson Dynasty and the Japanese Colonial Period
    • The South Korean Army after World War II
    • War on the Korean Peninsula
    • South Korea Responds to the North Korean Military Buildup
  • The Military's Role in Society
  • Organization and Equipment of the Armed Forces
    • Army
    • Air Force
    • Navy and Marine Corps
    • Reserve and Civil Defense Forces
    • Recruitment, Training, and Conditions of Service
    • Officers and Noncommissioned Officers
    • Enlisted Personnel
    • Uniforms, Ranks, and Insignia
  • Defense Spending and Military Production
    • Defense Spending
    • Military Production
  • Strategic Planning for War
    • United States Forces in Korea
    • South Korean and United States Cooperation (Guy R. Arrigoni)
  • Internal Security
    • The Threat from the North
    • Seoul's Responses
  • Intelligence Agencies
    • The Agency for National Security Planning
    • The Defense Security Command
  • Korean National Police
  • Criminal Justice
    • Crime
    • Criminal Procedure

• Appendix. Tables
• Bibliography
• Glossary