South Korea (henceforth Korea) is a country that has experienced rapid social changes, beginning with economic development. It was once one of the poorest countries in the world, but its economy, in terms of the total GDP, was ranked 11th largest in the world in 2015 by the World Bank. In fact, its total GDP of $1.377 trillion in 2015 is more than 1,000-fold increase from $1.3 billion in 1953. Also, Korea is the only country that has transformed from a recipient country of official development assistance (ODA) to a significant donor. What is remarkable is that Korea achieved all of these in just a generation or two. Korea is also noted for its democratization. In 1987, after nearly four decades of the succession of authoritarian regimes, Korean people won back the right to elect the president and members of the National Assembly. In fact, Korea stands as one of the few countries that has transformed from a poor country under authoritarian regime to a developed economy under democracy.
Economic transformation invariably caused widespread social and political changes as well. Korean society has been profoundly reshaped in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, with many of these changes still ongoing. In the political sphere, civic groups are exerting increasing influences on the political processes of the nation’s politics. Socially, one of the most important changes is the rapid aging of the population, which has been brought on by the increase in life expectancy and the record-low fertility rate. Another significant social change has been the making of multicultural Korea, as the number of foreigners residing in Korea has reached the 1.7 million mark or 3.4 percent of the total population in 2015. The phenomenon of Hallyu or the Korean Wave, which refers to the rise in the popularity of Korean popular culture in many parts of the world, has also been a significant change for the country.
These are some of the most important cultural, social and political trends and issues facing contemporary Korea. While this book does not claim to provide a comprehensive overview of Korean society, it has collected some of the best articles on the most important aspects of contemporary Korea.
While this book does not claim to provide a comprehensive overview of Korean society, it has collected some of the best articles on the most important aspects of contemporary Korea.

Kim Andrew Eungi

Andrew Eungi Kim (Ph.D in Sociology, University of Toronto) is Professor in the Division of International Studies at Korea University. His primary research interests broadly pertain to culture, sociology of religion, ethnic studies, social change, and comparative sociology. His articles have appeared in Social Indicators Research, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Asian Survey, Journal of Contemporary Asia, Social Compass, Korea Observer, Sociology of Religion, Social History, Review of Religious Research, and Korea Journal, among others. He is presently completing work on a book manuscript which examines the impact of rapid industrialization, modernization and globalization on the shaping of contemporary Korean society.