14. What Motivates South Korea’s Diplomatic Reform and Innovation?

This chapter identifies what prompted South Korea’s diplomatic reform and innovation following the pro-democracy movement in the late 1980s. By comparing six administrations, starting with the first civilian president, Kim Young-sam (1993–97), followed by Kim Dae-jung (1998–2002), Roh Moo-hyun (2003–7), Lee Myung-bak (2008–12), Park Geun-hye (2013–16), and Moon Jae-in (2017–22), this study finds such determinant factors as globalization, democratization, information and technology advancement, national aspirations, capacity building and global competitiveness, taking risks, and the rise of people’s power. In addition, the resultant findings signify that the president’s leadership as well as administration changes need to be taken into consideration as they force changes in the context of the country’s five-year single term president system.