Civilian Control of the Military and Democratic Consolidation in South Korea: From Military Professionalism to Civilianization of the Military
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61462/cujss.v51i2.679Keywords:
South Korea, democratic consolidation, civil-military relations, military professionalism, civilianization of the militaryAbstract
This article examines factors underpinning the successful consolidation of democracy in South Korea. In so doing, this work employs a minimal definition of democratic consolidation that is limited to the question of how democratic stability or conditions enabling a newly democratic country to avoid regression towards authoritarianism. The main contention of this work is that civilian control of the military is the most defining factor for consolidating democracy in South Korea. It has helped to defuse the most daunting threat to democratic stability. The process to establish civilian control over the military in South Korea began with the purging of the politicized military officer clique and the reform of the security sector based upon the principle of professionalism of the military. This attempt in forcing the guardians back to the barracks, in turn, paved the way crucial to the ability of successive civilian governments to launch other rounds of reform particularly in the direction of civilianization of the military, for instance, the increase in the number of civilian staff in the Ministry of National Defense and the promotion of such democratic values as human rights in the military, for instance.
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