Preface Chapter 1 Foundation of the Bank of Korea Chapter 2 The Bank of Korea Act Chapter 3 Organization and Functions of the Bank of Korea Chapter 4 Economic Development and the Bank of Korea Chapter 5 The Future Trajectory and Challenges of the Bank of Korea

This book presents economic statistics of Korea in the past three centuries, focusing on the century following 1910. The data, typically time series rather than cross-sectional, are given in 22 chapters, which refer to population, wages, prices, education, health, national income and wealth, and technology, among others. Rather than simply putting together available data, the contributors to this statistical compendium made adjustments to ensure intertemporal consistency when required. An overview draws attention to the discontinuous shifts occurring over time in the quantity and quality of the statistical information available, which was associated with the regime changes Korea underwent including the imposition of Japanese rule in 1910 and de-colonization and split into two Koreas three and half decades later. Individual chapters begin with a brief introduction, which helps users better understand and use the data. Data sources and references in the Japanese and Korean language are fully provided following the standard Hepburn and McCune–Reischauer Romanization with English translation to assist users to identify materials and explore more deeply the wealth of statistical data waiting to be analyzed.

During the second half of the twentieth century, an economic boom, driven by advances in technology, has led South Korea to become the world's fastest growing economy. But, there were also social factors associated with this shift. In this book, Daniel J. Schwekendiek examines South Korea's socioeconomic evolution since the 1940s.After a brief introduction to Korean history from the late Joseon Dynasty to the division of the Korean peninsula into two occupied zones in 1945, the focus of the book shifts to the rapid socioeconomic development and change that took place in South Korea in the twentieth century. Topics covered include demography, rural-urban development, economic planning, and international trade, in addition to lower and higher education. Important, but understudied areas, such as social capital, nutritional improvements, the rise of capitalist consumerism, and recent nation branding issues, are also addressed.Rarely has a resource incorporated such unique macro-historical perspectives of South Korea, especially in the context of social development. Throughout the book, the author corroborates historical events with empirical data. With over one hundred figures and illustrations, suggested readings at the end of each chapter, and comparisons with North Korea, South Korea will be a crucial reference work for scholars and advanced students in Korean and East Asian Studies.

Through the analysis of institutional dynamics Kwon argues that social policy development in Korea is not due to common exogenous factors such as international or union pressure but to the desire of the weakly-legitimated government to have itself legitimized. Such political rationale is deeply embedded in the structure of social policy institutions and particularly in the way that the state has played a part in financing social welfare programmes. Kwon shows that the role of the Korean state is characterized as essentially that of regulator-type rather than provider.

Korea's development process offers valuable lessons for other developing and less developed economies. In particular, the way Korea uses outside technologies, by accumulating indigenous capabilities, is still valid in the era of the knowledge economy. This volume examines the Korean model and Korea's march toward a knowledge economy from a poverty-ridden economy before the launch of full-scale industrialization in the early 1960s. It also emphasizes Korea's achievements, as well as remaining tasks within the four pillars of the knowledge economy, with a common theme throughout -- how Korea has narrowed the gaps in its knowledge and institutions in global competition with world leaders.