State-Society Relations

These Bloody Ties: A Review of “The Unloved Republic” by Brian Myers

By | November 14, 2024

In a new essay, James Constant reviews the latest book by one of the boldest writers in Korean Studies, B.R. Myers. The fundamentals of South Korean state identity are tabled for discussion.

Debates and Sentiment toward the National Security Act in South Korea 

By and | March 29, 2024

South Korea’s National Security Act is contentious for its restrictions on political freedoms under the guise of national security. New research indicates that law remains due to legislative inertia and public recognition of security needs, with proposals for revisions far more popular than outright abolition.

Free to be Controlled: Press and Protest under Park Chung-hee

By | November 30, 2022

A review of two recent works examining the role of the media and the development of protest culture in South Korea during the Park regime.

Dictatorial Consensus: South Korean Identity and Popular Remembrance of Park Chung-hee

By | November 21, 2018

In her debut on Sino-NK, Megan Cansfield provides readers with some intriguing insights into the connection between Park Chung-hee’s push for industrialization and the formation of a specifically South Korean state identity.

Anti-Communism Endures: Political Implications of ROK Political Culture

By | May 08, 2017

Anti-communism has a long and storied history in South Korea. Nobody disputes the prevalence of anti-communist sentiment. The public of all ages retains the view that there is an ongoing need for anti-communist ideology. Steven Denney looks at the data.