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This is a critical review of Hyug Baeg Im's book titled "Democratization and Democracy in Korea, 1960-Present." After briefly summarizing the outline of the book, the reviewer presents a detailed critique respectively on Im's analyses of the three main subjects: (1) the Yushin authoritarianism in relation to Park Chung Hee's role; (2) the democratic transition; and (3) the democratic consolidation and the state of Korean democracy. The reviewer argues that Im's evaluation somewhat downplays Park's part with the Yushin regime and that his game-theoretic examination of the transition may obscure a complete picture because of its depreciation of critical structural conditions. While Im was optimistic a decade ago about Korea's future in developing democracy, the reviewer finds the current situation of Korean democracy degenerating. The reviewer proposes that more attention to institutional factors will complement Im's approach on actors and structures and help thwart the retrogression of Korean democracy.
Key Words: Democratic Transition, Democratic Consolidation, Quality of Democracy, Park Chung Hee, Presidentialism
I. Introduction
This compiled volume titled, "Democratization and Democracy in South Korea, 1960-Present" by Hyug Baeg Im from a comparative perspective begins with a reflection on the path he has taken in the study of democratization. As he delineates in the first chapter of "Introduction," Im is a lifetime student of Korean democracy since his departure from Korea for a doctoral program in Chicago during the oppressive Yushin authoritarian rule. There he observed and theorized the failure and success of Korea's transition to democracy. Returning to Korea in the late 1980s, he witnessed first-hand and researched the consolidation process of its democracy. This book, therefore, comes from a comparativist perspective based on thick local understanding.
The book is organized formally into three parts. The first segment deals with the analysis of regime change from the rise of the Korean authoritarianism to its democratic transition. The causes of the 1972 imposition of the Yushin authoritarian system are discussed (Ch. 2). Subsequently presented is an overall assessment of the regime ex post facto in connection with its economic achievement as well as an evaluation of president Park Chung Hee' role (Ch. 3). The path of a negotiated democratic transition culminating in 1987 is analyzed through a rational choice approach (Ch. 4). Among the actors...