Transitional Politics of Korea, 1987-1992: Activation of Civil Society

IVAD EMIC DISCOURSE in the Korean social science community during e early 1980s and up to the mid-1980s tended to focus upon the state; for instance, the role of the state in industrialization, its relations with big capital, its relations with labor, and its general character in Korean society.' However, in the wake of a democratic transition in South Korea during the period 1987-1992, one of the major scholarly debates in Korea has centered on changing relations between state and civil society.2 The main elements in transitional politics from an authoritarian regime to a would-be democratizing government during the Roh Tae Woo presidency involved liberalization of the regime, activation of the civil society, and the relative weakening of the state. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze contemporary Korean politics highlighting activities of the civil society. Lately, many Korean social scientists have instigated stimulating and often controversial debates concerning civil society in Korea.3 Some put a great deal of emphasis on the significance of an emerging civil society and its potential role