Korea Briefing, 1990

"Korea Briefing, 1990" initiates a series of comprehensive annual reviews of issues and events in the Republic of Korea and on the peninsula as a whole. In this inaugural volume, senior specialists focus on developments between 1987 and 1990, important transitional years for South Korea. The contributors assess the experiment in democracy and its effect on the economy and on society - including labour, students, dissidents, and the burgeoning middle class. They also describe and interpret the dramatic changes in foreign relations and in relations between North and South Korea. A special chapter covering recent trends in literature, art, and the performing arts shows how these are linked to the changing political atmosphere. Exploring the country's Confucian heritage, the final chapter depicts contemporary South Korea in terms of the creative tension between tradition and modernity. "Korea Briefing, 1990" provides both students and specialist with a useful overview of a rapidly changing society.