John M. Gonzalez

In SOUTH KOREA: The Price of Efficiency and Success, second edition, authors John Gonzalez and Young Lee combine their backgrounds and professional experiences to look behind the public face of South Korea. Through stories, anecdotes, and hard evidence, they capture Koreans being themselves without the glamour and glitz of K-pop, K-beauty, and K-drama. They examine the conditions, behavioral patterns, and cultural values that helped lift the country from the ashes after the Korean War to the international stage as the fifth-largest economy in Asia and 13th in the world. Their analysis includes the price Koreans have paid for the country’s astonishing achievements and the existing social inequality. In the current edition, the authors have thoroughly revised and updated the narrative, incorporating a discussion of recent significant events, such as the deadly 2022 Itaewon crowd crush.