| This is a contemporary political economic analysis of the various dimensions in the rapid growth of the Korean communication industry between 1987-2002. This study attempts to clarify how and why the Korean communication industry has been rapidly transformed in relation to the broader socio-economic change in Korea as well as the global communication system reorganization. This dissertation also analyzes the nature of the relationships among domestic players such as the Korean government, domestic capitals, including chaebol, and international players such as the U.S. government, international agencies, and transnational corporations in the process of the transformation of the Korean communication industry. It explores whether transnational capitals have played a key role in the reorganization of the new communication structure. The relationship among international transnational capitals and domestic-based transnational and national capitals has been examined.;In addition, the dissertation maps out the characteristics and process of communication policies in Korea. It selects several major communication policies, including privatization issues, which directly impacted on the transformation of the communication industry. It figures out why and how the Korean government has adopted neoliberal economic and cultural policies and their impact on the communication business as well as upon the Korean economy. The study also explores how the 1997 economic crisis influenced the Korean communication industries. |
