81 karma · joined May 2, 2013
Good fun ordering pizza from your favorite tools!
I recommend Jonathan Tepperman's book "The Fix" [1]. His chapter on Korea is, in my point of view, fair, forgiving and sympathetic towards Chaebol system.
He divides the development in Korea into three periods: Dictatorial development (which I think what you call cooperation b/w private enterprise and government) 1962~1987 and democratization 1987~1997 and liberalization 1997~. I think he presents a case of what would've worked in a cheap labor export economy wouldn't work well in a post-industrial advanced economy, and how the country should move on.
[1] https://www.foreignaffairs.com/press/2016-09-20/fix-how-nati...
Sure modern democracy and free market aren't free of problems, but Korea can use some Rule of Law.
[1] http://www.theverge.com/2013/2/15/3991338/samsung-x-file-tap...