The role of the security services in democratization: An analysis of South Korea's agency for national security planning

Abstract

The role of intelligence agencies in democratization is an important area of research. South Korea is an instructive case study because democratization occurred in a polity where the security/ingelligence bureaucracy had been powerful and where natinal security issues remained central. This article analyzes the South Korean security establishment, particularly the Agency for National Security Planning, seeking to place the Agency in context. The forcus is on democratic reforms and the continuing extensive role of the Agency which is traced to its role in democratization, relation to the executive, extensive legislation on national security matters, Korean political culture and the multilevel threat from North Korea.