Riding the tiger: Civilian control and the military in democratizing Korea

Instead of asking why the military engage in politics, we ought surely ask why they ever do otherwise. For at first sight the political advantages of the military vis-A-vis other and civilian groupings are overwhelming. The military possess vastly superior organization. And they possess arms.... The wonder, therefore, is not why the military rebels against its civilian masters, but why it ever obeys them. Samuel Finer, The Man on Horseback.