Evangelicals and the Democratization of South Korea Since 1987

This chapter examines how evangelicals affected South Korean democratization. After two-and-a-half decades of military-dominated authoritarianism, Korea had a rapidly growing economy but no democracy, until mass protests led to electoral democracy and civil and political rights in 1987. Scholars hav...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEvangelical Christianity and Democracy in Asia
Main Author Lumsdaine, David Halloran
Format Book Chapter
LanguageEnglish
Published New York Oxford University Press 05.03.2009
Oxford University Press, Incorporated
Subjects
Christian mission & evangelism
POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
evangelical Christianity
Christians
democratization
Koreans
democracy
electoral democracy
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Summary:This chapter examines how evangelicals affected South Korean democratization. After two-and-a-half decades of military-dominated authoritarianism, Korea had a rapidly growing economy but no democracy, until mass protests led to electoral democracy and civil and political rights in 1987. Scholars have given scant attention to the role of the evangelicals in Korea's democratization and democratic consolidation. The chapter reviews the useful though sparse scholarly literature, but relies principally on observation, interviews, documents, and the writings of pastors, theologians, and civil society activists. It argues that Korean Christians have significantly boosted democratization.
ISBN:0195308247
9780195308242
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195308242.003.0006