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This chapter considers a few challenges to the desirability and superiority of the Confucian hybrid regime, especially the meritocratic elements in this regime that are apparently a significant departure from the present liberal democratic regimes. Some people may object to this regime because it apparently violates what they take as principles of liberal democracy: the principle that the legitimacy of a government comes from popular votes and the principle of equality. This kind of objection is an “external” one because it considers some fundamental ideas of the Confucian hybrid regime problematic. The chapter also looks at some “internal” objections to this regime, such as it will lead to consequences that it considers bad within its own framework, it is not as good as it claims to be, or we do not have to go that far to achieve what is desired by the framer of the Confucian hybrid regime. By answering all these challenges, the chapter hopes to elaborate on the designs of this regime and the reasoning behind it, and to further show the superiority and the desirability of it.

Chapter 9 concludes this book by looking into the future. It addresses both external and internal challenges to EU’s regulatory hegemony and examines whether and how the Brussels Effect will persist, given these challenges. The impending departure of the United Kingdom from the EU may appear to weaken the EU’s regulatory power. The growing concerns over the future of multilateral institutions and international cooperation may also challenge the EU’s ability to shape the global regulatory environment. Additional challenges loom on the horizon. These include the rise of China and other emerging powers that will gradually erode the relative market power of the EU. Technological change may revolutionize industrial processes, allowing for greater customization and thereby reducing the need to produce to a single global (often European) standard. Finally, the EU’s internal political struggles may compromise its ability to engage in effective rule making as the anti-EU sentiment grows. This chapter will consider each of these challenges in turn, offering an account of not just the EU’s regulatory power but the persistence of that power.

This concluding chapter first summarizes some of the key issues facing South Korea on the external front in its engagement with Asia. Second, it focuses on the domestic economy to underscore the importance of several outstanding and emergent internal challenges that external engagement alone is unlikely to resolve. The after-development phase is challenging but seriously needs engagement. It needs to ensure growth in a soft global economy, address inequality and share prosperity by regulating chaebols, support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and irregular workers, and pursue better income distribution and social welfare, especially for women and the elderly to make it easier for them to enter and remain in the workforce. The chapter ends with an epilogue by briefly examining whether Korea is likely to experience a Japanese type long-term recession and what might be some of the implications of Korean unification on after-development dynamics.