This course examines the contemporary politics of the Korean peninsula, with emphasis on South Korea (the Republic of Korea or ROK) and its economic and political developments of recent decades. The course will focus on the post World War II development of Korean politics from a historical, comparative, and theoretical perspective. North Korea (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea or DPRK) is treated, with emphasis on the security and inter-relations problems between North and South Korea and the international factors at work. Theoretical issues covered will include political culture, nationalism, developmentalism, democratisation, civil society, state/market relations, as well as topics in international relations theory.