Characteristics of Korean policy regime

In political economy literature, the Korean development model established during the industrialization period has been classified as a statist coordination model similar to Japan, distinct from the liberal market models of the United States and the United Kingdom, or the social coordination models of Europe. It was characterized by strong government interventions in the economy, a merit-based bureaucracy, close cooperation between state and capital, and the political exclusion of labor. This study holds that, despite its adjustment to democratization, liberalization and globalization, the Korean development model is still defined as a “reconfigured statist coordination model,” rather than as a liberal market or social coordination model. This study notes that Korea’s statist coordination model rests on a distinctive policy regime to be led primarily by the president and the executive branch, with only minimal direct participation in policy regime from the legislature, political parties and civil society. This system is characterized by a centralized and hierarchical structure in which the Office of the President sets the national agenda and oversees its imple mentation.