Post War South Korea

Post War South Korea •1948-1960: Republic of Korea under Syngman Rhee –Korean War: 1950-1953 •1960-1961: Democratic Party Interregnum •1961-1979: Military Dictatorship of Park Chung Hee •Yusin constitution – 1972 •1980-1987: Military Dictatorship of Chun Doo-hwan •Democratic Administration (1988-present): –1988-1993: Roh Tae-woo (Military) [R] –1993-1998: Kim Young-sam (Civilian) [R] •IMF crisis - 1997 –1998-2003: Kim Dae Jung (Civilian) [L] –2003-2008: Roh Moo-hyun (Civilian) [L] –2008-2013: Lee Myung-bak (Civilian) [R] –2013-2017: Park Geunhye (daughter of dictator) [R] –2017-2022: Moon Jae-in (Civilian) [L] –2022-present: Yoon Suk-yeol [R] 1960-uprising •April 19, 1960 – Civil society reasserts itself and expels Syngman Rhee •Demonstrations against corrupt election of xx •Demonstrations put down by soldiers and right-wing gangs •In Masan, student fished out of water with tear-gas canister in his scull •Huge demonstrations break out across the country •Professors as well as students participate Park Jung Hee(1961~1979) •Originally served with the Japanese military in Manchuria (after finding school teaching too difficult!) •Seems to have become a member of the South Korean Labour Party (a communist party) in 1945-1948 – turned double-agent during Yŏsu-Sunch’ŏn uprising. •Was rehabilitated and became part of South Korean army •During 1960-1961, part of a series of reformist officers who launched an internal coup d'état against the corrupt “political generals” under Rhee. •On May 16, 1961, however, led a coup d'état against democratic administration, establishing Military Revolutionary Committee •Leader of Military Revolutionary Committee and then Supreme Council for National Reconstruction (1961-1963) •Suspended Constitution •Dissolved National Assembly •Arrested corrupt business people and politicians •“Democratically” elected president (1963-1972) •Controlled via “Democratic Republican Party” •Constitution was set up so that party that won largest share got 2/3s of the seats [so, won majority with 32%) •1971: Nearly lost election to Kim Dae Jung •Yusin Dictatorship (1972-1979) •Coup d'état in office •President appointed by 2359 member National Conference for Unification •Drafted a new constitution – all rights qualified “except as specified by law.” Kim il Sung (1948~1994) •In the period before 1950, Soviet Koreans (Hŏ Ka-i or Andrei Hegei) dominated the administration •After Korean War, Kim Il Sung eliminated remaining power of non-Communist parties and asserted dominance over communist factions •Kim Ilsung was head of the Manchurian faction •Faction that had been in Yan’an with Mao •Soviet Faction •Korean faction •North Korea experienced enormous economic growth in the 1950s and 1960s •By 1972, Kim was in complete control over the Party bureaucracy. •Sino-Soviet split meant that North Korea had considerable diplomatic flexibility •Juche (self-reliance) ideology treats North Korea as independent of the rest of the world, and united in their shared subservience to the Great Leader Kim Il Sung “Miracle on the Han” •1962: Per capita income 100 USD; 1990: 6,614 USD; 13, 980 in 2004 •Transformation of impoverished state suffering from Korean War and national division to one of the wealthy nations •State-run Development •Export-oriented growth •Formation of powerful conglomerates (chaebol) •POSCO in P’ohang •Hyundai motors in Ulsan •Economic development = state policy; opposition to business interests = treason •Democratic labor unions generally illegal Macroeconomic indicator for the Republic of Korea: Adapted from Michale Robinson 1960~1987: Authoritarian Developmental State •Anti-Communist •Spurred widespread regimentation and militarization of society •Let us build our nation as we fight! (ssaumyŏnsŏ kŏnsŏl haja) •Opposed by well-organized clandestine student movement/democratic labour movement State Capitalism •Dominant myth of North Korea is of “Juche” (Chuch’e) or “Self-Reliance” – tends to downplay role of foreigners. •However, post-war development heavily depended on support from East Bloc allies •Advantage over South: strong industrial base – disadvantage: It had been destroyed by war. •In 1950s and 1960s, it was better off than the North. •First Five year plan (1957-1961): associated with Ch’ŏllima (Flying Horse), Ch’ŏngsan-ni (agriculture) and Taean (industry) campaigns •Followed by Seven year plan (1961-1967): By 1967 national income = 8.6 times from 1953; annual growth rate of 16.6