In this interdisciplinary study of governance‎,‎ Hyuk‎-Rae Kim traces how civil society and NGOs have evolved over time‎,‎ how they differ in motivation from their Western counterparts‎,‎ and the role civil society NGOs have played in consolidating democracy as the governance system in Korea changes from a state‎-centric to a contested one‎.‎ This book presents civil society‎'‎s rise in Korea through in‎-depth analyses of today‎'‎s most pressing issues‎,‎ in order to chart the shifting role of a formerly state‎-centric to a contested governance system in modern Korea‎.‎ With detailed case studies and policy discussions‎,‎ this book explores the role of NGOs in campaigning for political reform and the eradication of political corruption‎;‎ the provision of public goods and services‎;‎ challenging the government‎'‎s policies on migration‎;‎ tackling the issue of North Korean refugees and human rights‎;‎ and the provision of regional environmental governance‎.‎ These case studies demonstrate that the state is no longer the sole guardian and provider of public institutions and goods and underline the growing role of civil society in Korea‎.‎ Both a study of contested governance and an exploration of contemporary Korean society‎,‎ this book will be of imminent interest to students and scholars alike of Korean politics‎,‎ East Asian politics‎,‎ governance‎,‎ and civil society‎.‎