ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the origin, process, and consequences of South Korea’s democratic transition. Democratization in South Korea represents one of the most successful examples of economic modernization and political development in the world. Although aborted, previous pro-democracy movements from the 1960s provided fertile soil for voluntary civil society activities from different quarters of society, ranging from farmers and urban blue collar workers to college students, religious leaders, white collar workers, and intellectuals. These diverse voices formed a united front for democratization, overwhelming the seemingly invincible authoritarian governments that had utilized physical violence and terror. The activation of civil society contributed to the nonviolent nature of the democratic transition in South Korea. However, the remarkable political achievement ‒ democratization through political compromise – also had its own adverse effects on consolidating and deepening democracy following the transition process. On the one hand, the compromise-based transition minimized socio-political turmoil and prevented any accompanying physical violence that could have derailed the political route to democracy. On the other hand, such compromises made democratic reforms extremely slow and incomplete, thereby hampering the democratic consolidation process.
