ABSTRACT
The Republic of Korea or South Korea (hereafter, Korea) has been considered a politically dynamic country throughout much of the postwar era. Korea created a developmental state in the 1960s and achieved rapid industrialization. Koreans initiated a democratic transformation in 1987 and have successfully addressed key challenges to the new democracy. This can be called “compressed development.” Korea has undeniably transformed into an affluent democracy as a result of its dynamism.
