This paper examines the increasing output of South Korean government publications in social science titles. It attributes the cause primarily to modernization and democratization combined with economic development and growth in associated social life indicators. Government sponsorship of education and research also plays a critical role. The following topics are addressed: (1) historical antecedents, including government sponsorship of research and promotion of literacy dating back to the 15th century; (2) quantity and quality of government issued social science information sources, including recent increases in output, expansion of census data, and the shift to electronic formats; (3) types of publications, including yearly statistical reports, yearbooks and annual reports, and white papers; (4) bibliographic control and access tools, including digital library projects, the Catalog of Government publications issued by the Government Publishing Office, and the Korean National Bibliography issued by the National Library; and (5) distribution and dissemination, including the legal depository system. (MES)