South Korea : [electronic resource] a country study / Federal Research Division, Library of Congress ; edited by Andrea Matles Savada and William Shaw.

"Research completed June 1990."

Origins of the Korean nation -- The three kingdoms period -- The evolution of Korean society. Silla ; Koryo -- The Choson dynasty -- Characteristics of society under the dynasties. Cultural expression ; Korean identity ; Political and social institutions -- Korea under Japanese rule -- World War II and Korea -- South Korea under United States occupation, 1945-48. Economy and society ; Establishment of the Republic of Korea -- The Korean War, 1950-53 -- The Syngman Rhee era, 1948-60. The political environment ; Society under Rhee ; The postwar economy -- The democratic interlude -- South Korea under Park Chung Hee, 1961-79. The military in politics ; Economic development ; Society under Park ; Foreign relations -- The transition. The Democratic Republican Party ; The New Democratic Party -- Students in 1980 -- General Chun Doo Hwan takes over. The Kwangju uprising ; The Chun regime ; The 1980 constitution ; Purges ; Chun's "cultural revolution" ; Economic performance ; Foreign policy ; The demise of the Chun regime -- Physical environment. Land area and borders ; Topography and drainage ; Climate -- Population. Population trends ; Population settlement patterns ; Urbanization ; Koreans living overseas -- Social structure and values. Traditional social structure ; The emergence of a modern society ; Social classes in contemporary South Korea ; Traditional family life ; Family and social life in the cities ; Changing role of women -- Cultural identity. Korea and Japan ; The Korean language -- Education. Primary and secondary schools ; Higher education ; College student activism -- Religion. Religious traditions ; Religion in contemporary South Korea -- Public health and welfare. Health conditions ; Health care and social welfare -- The Japanese role in Korea's economic development -- The government role in economic development. Industrial policies ; Economic plans ; Revenues and expenditures -- The government and public and private corporations. The origins and development of chaebol ; The role of public enterprise ; Pohang Iron and Steel Company ; Korea Electric Power Corporation -- Financing development -- Industry. Steel ; Electronics ; Shipbuilding ; Automobiles and automotive parts ; Armaments ; Construction ; Textiles and footwear ; Chemicals -- Energy -- Agriculture. Major crops ; Forestry and fishing ; The agricultural crisis of the late 1980s ; Prospects -- Service industries. Money and banking ; Small and medium-sized businesses -- The labor force. Wages and living conditions ; Industrial safety -- Transportation and telecommunications. Roads ; Subways and railroads ; Civil aviation ; Telecommunications --

Includes bibliographical references (p. 347-375) and index.

Also available on the Library of Congress Web site.

[cont.] Foreign economic relations. Aid, loans, and investment ; Foreign trade policy ; Exports and imports -- Korea in the year 2000. The setting ; The role of science and technology ; The economic future -- The constitutional framework -- The government. The legislature ; The executive ; The state council ; The presidential secretariat ; The judiciary ; The civil service ; Local administration -- Political dynamics. Compromise and reform: July-December 1987 ; Events in 1988 ; Returning to the politics of national security, 1989 ; Parties and leaders ; Interest groups -- Political extremism and political violence -- Human rights -- The media / Roy U. T. Kim -- Foreign policy. Organization and operation ; Basic goals and accomplishments ; Relations with the United States ; Relations with the Soviet Union ; Relations with Japan ; Relations with China ; Relations with North Korea ; Relations with international organizations and the Third World ; Future prospects -- Development of the armed forces. Koguryo, Silla, and Koryo kingdoms ; The Choson dynasty and the Japanese colonial period ; The South Korean army after World War II ; War on the Korean Peninsula ; South Korea's response to the North Korean military buildup -- The military's role in society -- Organization and equipment of the armed forces. Army ; Air force ; Navy and marine corps ; Reserve and civil defense forces ; Recruitment, training, and conditions of service ; Officers and noncommissioned officers ; Enlisted personnel ; Uniforms, ranks, and insignia -- Defense spending and military production -- Strategic planning for war. United States forces in Korea ; South Korean and United States cooperation / Guy R. Arrigoni -- Internal security. The threat from the North ; Seoul's response -- Intelligence agencies. The Agency for National Security Planning ; The Defense Security Command -- Korean national police -- Criminal justice. Crime ; Criminal procedure -- List of figures. Administrative divisions of South Korea, 1990 ; Korea during the three kingdoms period, fifth to sixth centuries A.D. ; South Korea in its Asian setting, 1990 ; Topography and drainage ; Average annual rainfall ; Population growth rate, selected years, 1949-85 ; Rural and urban population distribution, selected years, 1955-85 ; Increase in licensed health care personnel, selected years, 1955-85 ; Selected industrial and mining activity, 1988 ; Employment by sector, 1980 and 1988 ; Transportation system, 1988 ; Structure of the government, 1989 ; Comparative growth of the armed forces of South Korea and North Korea, 1950-90 ; Deployment of South Korean and United States forces in South Korea, 1990 ; Officer and enlisted ranks and insignia, 1990 ; Comparison of defense expenditures, South Korea and North Korea, 1978-88 ; Organization of South Korean and United States forces in South Korea, 1988 ; Organization of the Korean national police, 1989.