From euphoria to atrophy: the politics of recent economic reform in Korea

Abstract

In late February 1993, Korea set out a new journey toward "real" democracy. While the formal process of democratization began in 1987, when the Rho Tae Woo government was sworn in under the new, fairly democratic Constitution amended consensually by the ruling and the opposition parties without much fuss, though, the inauguration of the first "civilian" president Kim Young Sam in three decades was to mark a genuine beginning of the democratic era in Korea. The very characterization of new government as "civilian" and the somewhat overdrawn distinction between the Rho's and the Kim's govemment was nothing but the manifestation of the Korean people's strong desire to break with the deplorable past of the 32 years' authoritarian-military rule. Although the people's expectations toward the new government were shot up high, it was far from certain, however, what they really wanted it to achieve. President Kim's election campaign slogan, "change and reform," had been so equivd as not to indicate the degree and extent of reform that his government would undertake. Economic reform, in particular, of the new government was only in the making even at the time of transition.