The Military’s Withdrawal from Politics and Korea’s Social Transition: A Perspective based on Natural State Approach

    Abstract: This article uses the theoretical framework of elitism based on the concept of natural states developed by Douglas North and other scholars to consider the relationship between the military’s political control and Korea’s transition from limited to mass social participation. We demonstrate that beginning from the 1960s a group of military elites surrounding Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan built a ruling coalition including military officials, politicians, senior government officials and capitalists. This coalition controlled the state and society, creating a social order with limited access to politics in Korea. This stable social order was not static though-as rapid economic development progressed and social structures changed, opposition forces within society and especially the ranks of the middle class and working class continuously expanded. The military ultimately dug its own grave, and by the end of the 1980s, it was forced to withdrawal from the political arena and restore civilian government. Following this logic, the article analyzes the process that Korea went through as it took political control over the military. As competitive politics and economic markets emerged, the establishment of two types of markets marked the completion of social transition in Korea.

    Author: Liu Hongzhong is a Professor in the School of International Relations at Liaoning University