Korea 2020

What's next for South Korea? A short half-century ago, it was among the world's poorest countries. It is now a prosperous, industrialized democracy, with an economy that has proved resilient in the face of the global economic crisis. But having achieved so much success, South Korea's future remains unclear. The world is changing in ways that do not seem to play to South Korea's strengths. Will its economic formula built on manufacturing and exports continue to deliver? How will it cope with the rise of China? Can it manage its dependence on energy imports? How will Korean society weather its demographic transitions? Will the mobilization and social discipline that aided South Korea's industrialization bring greater prosperity in the next decade, or the next half-century?
This important volume brings together a stellar group of top international thinkers, commentators, and leaders, and asks them to look ahead, to bring their own perspectives to the new challenges Korea faces. Taken from an outside perspective looking in, the provocative answers in this volume are intended to stimulate debate both inside and outside of Korea. They also contribute to an important global and regional conversation about how individual nations can shape their destiny in an increasingly turbulent and interdependent world.