Revisiting Democratic Transition in South Korea: Strategic Interaction among Elites, Civil Society and External Actors

Abstract

This article aims to revisit the transition to democracy in South Korea. Previous studies tended to focus exclusively on the roles of civil society, elites or even external actors, particularly the United States. The article contends that the study of democratic transition should consider the overall strategic interaction among key actors. This interaction is intrinsically strategic in the sense that an actor’s action could consequently either empower or limit other actors’ strategic choices. In the case of South Korea, on the one hand, the massive role of civil society together with the noticeable pressure from the US reinforced the role of elites in the democratization camp (such as elites in opposition parties and “soft-liners” within the authoritarian regime), while on the other hand it restricted the hardliner’s choice to crush the democratization movement by force. Ultimately, the authoritarian government was compelled to transfer power democratically.