Conclusion: The Korean Peninsula in Transition

Abstract

Situated at the forefront of the communist/capitalist divide, the Korean peninsula became subject to superpower constraints over regime type and the pattern of economic development. In spite of these constraints, both Koreas since 1953 have proven themselves remarkably successful at maximising national development and international influence. Consequently much scholarly attention has focused on their political and economic development. Since the early 1980s, a combination of structural change and internal pressure has profoundly altered the post-1953 trajectories of both Koreas. This volume has analysed the transition on three levels: the structural constraints imposed by the international system; the internal evolution of the societies themselves; and the regimes’ strategies of modernisation and external interaction. How do these levels interrelate and what are the theoretical implications?