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Gabriel JonssonAssociate professor, Docent

About me

I am lecturer in Korean Studies at the Department of Asian, Middle Eastern and Turkish Studies. I have held this position at Stockholm University since 1987. Right now I am completing the research project Human Rights and Democratic Consolidation in South Korea that investigates whether the country has respected human rights or not since the Constitution was revised in 1987 introducing democracy.

My new project focuses on South Korea's arms exports and defense industry. The purpose is to analyze the reasons for initiating domestic defense production around 1970, what measures have been taken to develop the industry and, above all, the role of exports in the process. The study aims to fulfil a gap in the literature on South Korea's arms exports by becoming to the author´s knowledge the first comprehensive account of the issue in English. 

Teaching

I have been teaching courses and supervised students on Bachelor level at Stockholm University since 1988. Courses taught include mainly Korean language on all levels but also Korean history, society, politics, economics and inter-Korean relations. 

Research

I received my PhD at Stockholm University in 1996 with the dissertation Shipbuilding in South Korea: A Comparative Study. It investigates what enabled the country to become a major shipbuilder since the 1970s and how it has maintained this position since. 

After my dissertation, my research has focused on modern South Korean politics and inter-Korean politics. My present research project 

Does South Korea respect human rights?

investigates to what degree South Korea since the revision of the constitution in 1987 has respected human rights and whether respect has shifted throughout time. The basis of evaluation are the 1948 UN Declaration of Human Rights, the 1987 South Korean Constitution and the tasks of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) established in 2001. Definitions of democratic consolidation are another basis. Interactions between political developments and respect for human rights during the terms in office of six presidents are illuminated on the basis of concrete examples. More emphasis is put on national aspects of observance than international. 

      The importance of the National Security Law (NSL), the Constitution Court, the NHRC and South Korea’s adherence to UN Conventions on human rights are analysed. In particular, how the NSL, that is commonly pointed out as the main obstacle to respect of human rights, has affected politics since 1987 is analysed. In  order to present a more diverse view of the state of respect for human rights, the degree of thought, speech and press freedom as well as the situation of HBTQ-persons and migrant workers are included. The study will, by covering a long period of time and linking respect for human rights with political development, widen knowledge about how democracy has worked in South Korea since 1987. 

Publications

A selection from Stockholm University publication database

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