Korea Under Roh Tae-Woo: Democratisation, Northern Policy, and Inter-Korean Relations

The presidency of Roh Tae-woo (1988-1993) has been an era in Korean politics. Roh has presided over a transformation of the political system which has enabled him to pass power on to a civilian successor, thus ending almost three decades of military rule. During his administration, South Korea has successfuly courted its erstwhile communist antagonists, opening official relations with China and developing a close relationship with President Yeltsin's Russia, while pursuing increasingly important business ties with the former socialist bloc. Seoul has also offered a policy of conciliation towards Pyongyang which has resulted in the adoption of the South-North Korean agreement on reconciliation, non-aggression and co-operation. This volume brings together the work of Korean and foreign scholars and commentators, all of whom comment on aspects of the Roh Tae-woo era. "Korea under Roh Tae-woo" is useful reading for Northeast Asia area specialists concerned to understand the democratic transformation of the Korean political system and Korea's recent foreign relations, and should be of interest to a wide range of students of international relations.