| Description: |
The Republic of Korea is East Asia's leading new democracy. As in other new democracies, public opinion in South Korea is central to the prospects of achieving democratic consolidation. This paper explores the contours of opinion on a variety of measures used to evaluate progress in the democratization of public attitudes, and shows how responses to the introduction of democracy are moulded by the socialization of the previous authoritarian regime. With the aim of placing South Korea in comparative perspective, the paper offers parallel data from four post-Communist countries in Europe, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Russia. The presentation covers seven subject areas: democratic support, freedom, corruption, national identities, welfare values, community association and trust.
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