The Making of Presidential Agendas in Korea A Comparison of Four Governments

Abstract

This study compares the presidential agendas of the four recent Korean governments of Kim Dae-jung (1998-2003), Roh Moo-hyun (2003-08), Lee Myung-bak (2008-13), and Park Geun-hye (2013-17). After a theoretical overview of the three factors affecting the formation of the presidential agenda (i.e., party ideology, presidential leadership, and social environment) this paper reviews the details of the presidential agendas of each administration and discusses them in the light of the three factors. In the last section, we reflect on the presidential agenda of the current Moon Jae-in administration (2017-present), point out the change and continuity in the presidential agenda system, and make a few remarks on the future of the presidential agenda system in Korea.