Welcome to KOREA BAROMETER data center

• Throughout the globe, South Korea (Korea hereafter) has long been known as the most prominent of the four dragon states in Asia.  Economically, Korea along with its three neighbors-Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore-has been transformed from a low-income country into an economic powerhouse within a single generation.  Politically, it has been transformed from a repressive military dictatorship into a maturing democracy.  Korea is now a country with a population of 48 million, and a Gross Domestic Product larger than ten states in the European Union.  As the Asian model combining prosperity with democracy, Korea is a major player in the global waves of political democratization and economic liberalization.
  
  
• How do the Korean people react to the powerful waves that have been transforming the way in which they live and interact with the outside world?  The best way for one to address this question is to ask ordinary Koreans directly and on a continuing basis.  This website introduces a barometer program that monitors and compares trends in their opinion and behavior in collaboration with other regional barometer surveys.  It also invites and welcomes collaboration and support for the program.