Evolution Of Korea Research Articles

Evolution of Korea’s Disaster-Management Diplomacy: Disaster Management as a Nexus between ODA Policy and Middle-Power Diplomacy

AbstractNoting that the demand for overseas emergency relief increased, the Korean government ambitiously launched disaster-management diplomacy in the 2000s. This paper argues that the Korean gove...

Demystifying the Park Chung-Hee Myth: Land Reform in the Evolution of Korea’s Developmental State

ABSTRACTThe developmental state literature emphasises the importance of state autonomy and capacity, with a particular focus on a Weberian type of meritocratic bureaucracy. Existing studies of South Korea’s economic development generally credit Park Chung-hee for establishing such a state. This article questions this assessment with careful process tracing of the development of a meritocratic bureaucracy in the country. The findings suggest that the contrast between the predatory Rhee regime (1948–1960) and the developmental Park regime (1961–1979) has been exaggerated. Meritocracy in South Korea’s bureaucratic recruitment and promotion systems developed gradually over several decades, including during Rhee’s regime as well as the short democratic episode (1960–1961). What then explains the evolution of a developmental state in Korea? This article suggests that land reform contributed to not only creating social structural conditions favourable to state autonomy but also promoting the development of a meritocratic bureaucracy by propelling rapid expansion of education and by mitigating the extent of political clientelism.

An East Asian Model of Economic Development: Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea

The East Asian model of economic development focuses on 5 shared characteristics that seem significant in the contemporary economic development of Japan Taiwan and Korea. They are economic characteristics and include 1) high investment ratios 2) small public sectors 3) competitive labor markets 4) export expansion and 5) government intervention in the economy. Large and efficient investments in human capital and well-developed capacities to absorb new technology are 2 other economic features shared by The Three. One could add overcrowding (high man/land ratios) and scarcity of natural resources though these are handicaps rather than sources of economic strength. It is possible however that virtue springs from necessity and that ample arable land or abundant natural resources mainly permit governments to postpone the difficult decisions needed to promote development rather than provide the wherewithal needed to finance development. Other noneconomic characteristics of The Three such as ethnic and linguistic homogeneity relatively compact geography manageable population size and the Confucian tradition have not been considered in the model even though they have undoubtedly influenced labor productivity savings behavior and other aspects of economic performance. Whether the East Asian model ought to be followed depends on whether current and foreseeable circumstances are sufficiently like those faced by The Three to justify using the same policies that they used. Applicability of the East Asian model should also depend on whether the strategy employed by The Three has been responsible for their economic success. 2 aspects of the East Asian models policy features are noteworthy: 1) the policies typically work by influencing rather than replacing private market decisions and 2) the public expects government to intervene to influence economic growth.

External financing for Korea: The next phase

This paper suggests that future external finance arrangements for Korea will exhibit increasing reliance on securitized instruments (bonds and equity) in preference to loans. Such a shift in the composition of financing is warranted by the evolution of Korea's needs, constraints and opportunities as reflected in such ongoing or anticipated developments as: the vulnerability to external trade and finance shocks, the gradual disengagement of government from financial, trade and industrial intervention, the substantial improvement in competitiveness arising from the realignment of OECD exchange rates and the associated improvement in Korea's credit- worthiness, and changing lender preferences as expressed in the trend towards securitization in international finance markets.