Free Essay About When Did South Korea Became A Democracy?

After the separation of South and North Korea in 1945, South Korea started the development of its government as a democratic-authoritarian that since resulted to the creation of six Republic after the inception of the first Republic in 1948. But while some would corroborate that South Korea became a democracy after the United States Military Government decided to put up a separate Korean state, it would be in several decades more that the country would transpire into a fully democratic state. The years before 1987 marked the unstable political atmosphere in South Korea as every elected president since the proclamation of its independence in 1948. It was the administration that was created in 1987, when Chun Doo Hwan was elected president of the republic that marked the first democratic government of South Korea (Adesnik).
There are two transitions that resulted to the creation of a truly democratic South Korea. Park Chung Hee leads the coup de’etat that ousted the newly elected government in 1961. Park later became the president of the Republic of Korea for eighteen years. The rapid economic growth resulted to his re-election in 1967 and 1971. He decided to declare martial law in 1972, and ordered the dissolution of the National Assembly, banned political parties and even closed universities. The county’s economic recession in 1979 had brought the end of the Park government as workers who were not prepared to face the recession decided to act against the dictator. The disagreement on whether to respond to the people’s call for democracy leads to the assassination of Park by his intelligence chief. A transitional government was immediately formed, with the intent to promote democracy and restore the re-election process (Adesnik).
According to historians, the Republic of Korea was ripe for democracy in year 1979 as the country has experienced economic recession after several years of striking economic progress. The transition, however, has yet to suffer another setback as Maj. Gen. Chun Doo Hwan and Maj. Gen. Roh Tae Woo who were backed by their secret military society arrested the advocates of democracy. Chu became the present of South Korea after successfully declaring martial law in retaliation over massive protest. The presidency of Chun was later challenge by election, and soon the government decided to open the electoral process. Amidst the political crisis in 1987, the transition into the sixth Republic was completed a few months later. The regime of Chun and his appointed predecessor, Roh Tae Woo, gave in to the call of fierce protesters on a new set of government for South Korea.
Roh proceeded to win the presidential election in 1987 and would later be replaced by Kim Young Sam as an elected president in 1992 after the later formed alliance with the Chun. The presidential bid of Kim was heavily supported by the people from his regional base, and as expected, Kim gave back to South Kyongsang Province “a stake in the county’s future” (Chaibong). As a fierce fighter for democracy, Kim implemented a more democratic stance in his government. The third democratic election was held in 1997 with Kim Dae Jung prevailing as the fifteenth elected president of the country (Croissant). Kim Dae Jung was another democratic supporter, and his regime did much for the improvement of the North and South Cholla provinces (Chaibong). The South western part of the country that was once left out by the rapid industrialization in centralized parts of South Korea was able to receive the needed attention. The tenure of the two Kims saw the participation of people form the largely excluded and discriminated group into the political, economic, and social grounds. The democratic government has unfastened the horrible sides of the old authoritarian government in South Korea.

References

Adesnik, D., Kim, S., The Puzzle of South Korea’s Democratic Transition. Retrieved from http://www.pomed.org
Chaibong, H., South Korea’s Miraculous Democracy. Retrieved from http://www.rand.org
Croissant, A., Electoral Politics in South Korea. Retrieved from http://www.library.fes.de