Elite recruitment and political development :'' A study of Korean political leaders 1948-1967

The purpose of this paper Is to examine the recruitment pattern of Korean political leaders during the last two decades within the context of political development and with reference to elites' social background. The method of analysis is first to formulate several general questions. For example: What makes an individual a members of the political elite? Does his behavior accelerate or retard the speed and intensity of political process? If so, what kind of people "should" rule in order to meet the requirements of the political system to develop? Or conversely, who has brought what kind of changes to the system? What is the relationship between the process of elite recruitment, especially political socialization on one hand, and political development on the other? General propositions are derived from the reviews of elite theorists, and then built around and into the Almond-Seligman theoretical model of elite recruitment and political development. From the relationships between various parts of the model, a set of hypotheses is developed and then tested against social background information on Korean National Assembly members and cabinet Ministers. Biographical information on each individual is coded according to age of elite entry, geographic origin, education, occupation, and nobility. Two measurement scales, Integration and representativeness, are adopted here to relate the degree of political development In the profile of elite recruitment. It Is proposed that the elite recruitment pattern, as dependent variable, reflects levels of change In political roles, and also reflects the degree and type of representativeness of the political system, and the basis of social stratification. It Is proposed, at the same time, that the elite recruitment pattern, as an independent variable, determines the nature and direction of political development. It Is pointed out that the Korean political system, because of Its "transitional" nature, employs a mixture of ascriptive and achievement criteria of elite eligibility and selection. It Is also pointed out that the Korean political system, because of Its political environment in International relations especially vis-a-vis North Korea, Is more oriented toward "ideological" and selective, rather than adaptive and representative, functions of recruitment. As a result, more emphasis is placed on political control than on political development.