ABSTRACT

The growing importance of the Korean economy in the global arena and the spread of the so-called ‘Korean wave’ in Asia mean there is an increasing desire to understand contemporary Korean Society. To this end, this book provides a critical and progressive analysis of the diverse issues that impact on and shape contemporary Korean society at both local and national levels.

The contributors address issues and movements which include:

    • The state and regime
    • Human rights
    • Gender
    • Civil society and social movements
    • Culture
    • Religion
    • Domestic and migrant labour
    • Welfare

The chapters in this volume provide a critical perspective on Korean society, and draw upon interdisciplinary research from across the social sciences. With contributions from leading Korean scholars and academics from around the world, this is a welcome addition to the growing field of Korean Studies, and will be of great interest to students and scholars interested in Korean studies, Korean and Asian culture and society, and Asian studies more generally.

chapter 1|17 pages

The structure of the South Korean developmental regime and its transformation

An analysis of the developmental regime of statist mobilization and authoritarian integration in the anticommunist regimentation

chapter 3|13 pages

Regionalism

Its origins and substance with competition and exclusion

chapter 10|20 pages

The netizen movement

A new wave in the social movements of Korea

chapter 15|12 pages

Labor movements in democratized Korea

An old or new social movement? 1

chapter 16|12 pages

Mobilizing public opinion for/against foreign labor policies in Korea, 1995—2005

NGOs, trade unions, and employers' associations in contested terrain 1