In past decades, outside observers generally found both North Korea and South Korea to be woefully lacking in the areas of democracy and human rights. From 1948 until his death in 1994, Kim Il Sung built up and maintained a dictatorship in North Korea that controlled all aspects of public and private life. Originally based on the Soviet Union’s model of Communist dictatorship, it also came to resemble past Korean monarchies, according to some observers, with Kim Il Sung assuming the title of Great Leader. South Korea’s government, originally modeled after the United States, was dominated by the military after a group of generals led by Park Chung Hee overthrew the government in 1961. Under Park, South Korea pursued a more market-oriented economic policy than North Korea. However, both Park and his...