This book gives great insight into how South Korea's democracy came to be. Through modernization theory, economic development, political turmoil and protest, the author uses datasets to examine the characteristics of the advancement of democracy in Korea and how multiple factors influence and contradict one another. 

Personally, I say that this is a very political oriented book (not necessarily a historical one). However, the author does a great job of laying out her thesis and data while also threading in the history behind it all. This book helps give greater understanding of Korean democracy and how it came to be which can help us as readers understand democracy in other countries around the world.