I am sympathetic to your point - and would be inclined to agree. BUT - Of course you know Korea was decimated during a war, and it was pretty messy before. Fro

I am sympathetic to your point - and would be inclined to agree. BUT - Of course you know Korea was decimated during a war, and it was pretty messy before. From 1950-2000 it makes sense that 'responsible leaders' were orchestrating the nations rise from the rubble. Clearly - that model is not sustainable, but it's maybe a better solution than 'hyper fragmented society' after something so decimating wherein institutions, governance, sense of identity, schools etc. are all missing. A 'somewhat authoritarian but nevertheless benevolent' society made up of responsible managers, and 'reasonably loyal workers who have the spirit to believe in what they are doing' ... is probably a good way to build a civilization, instantly, out of nothing. I guess the challenge would be reform: how to get these neo-feudal entities to loosen their grip and allow for more liberalism once the roots have been well planted. Given the high profile nature of this case, maybe that is happening on some level. I'd suggest there's probably some deep cultural factors as well, though I wouldn't suggest to know enough to go there. If you wrote a blog article about it, I'd be the first to read it :)