The Youth Crime Problems in the Republic of Korea

The Republic of Korea, ironically known as “the Land of the Morning Calm,” has experienced drastic social changes during the past half century.1 Most experts agree that the catalyst for this change has been the country's remarkably swift modernization and urbanization, as Korean society has shifted away from its past agrarian traditions. What has resulted are major conflicts between its culture's traditional values and new values imported from social structures of the industrialized western nations. These conflicts as they relate to juvenile delinquency are the subject of this article.