| | Asia Society: Publications - The 1997 Korean Elections |
 | | All this is extremely uncharacteristic of presidential campaigns in a country where, before the transition to full-fledged democracy some ten years ago, the results of presidential elections were largely a foregone conclusion as the authoritarian government used all of its considerable power to ensure that it stayed in power. |
 | | Presidential elections always brought major social and political tensions, conflicts, and cleavages to the fore, revealing both the ideals as well as the most malignant aspects of the Korean political unconscious. |
 | | Although local elections may be more illustrative of the democratic process, for it is that level at which citizens are in intimate contact with their government and gauge its effectiveness, presidential elections command more attention because of the nature of Korean political culture. |
| www.asiasociety.org /publications/update_elections.html (17826 words) |