ABSTRACT
For the better part of the last half of the twentieth century, two aspects of the political and economic landscape of Korea (I use the terms “Korea” and “South Korea” interchangeably) seemed immutable. The first: that the economy would be very strong. The second: that relations with North Korea would be characterized by unremitting enmity and hostility. Recently, Korea experienced tectonic shifts on both fronts. First, it was struck by an unparalleled economic crisis; then the North-South “Cold War” began to thaw.
