South Korea

Park Chung He

Equally scandalous. In power from 1961-1979; he was assassinated He was a military leader and came to power through a coup; he got rid of Rhee; he suppressed the democratic movement KCIA: Korean Central Intelligence Agency was in power; they suppressed dissent (anyone who supported democracy and stop the counter-coup). Super secret police like those in video They arrested anyone engaged in dissent; many scandals. Tortured and murder people. The head of the KCIA (closet democrat Kim jae cue?) shot Park in October 1979 at safe house party. Shows how these families do bad things and it haunts them generation to generation. His wife had already been assassinated, but his daughter became the president She was impeached in 2017 for corruption and imprisoned

Moon Jae-in Park Geun-hye was the president before him; she is in jail for corruption now; daughter of

Former human rights lawyer Became president in 2017 Left of center, relatively friendly towards North Korea. Popularly elected for single five year term

Post-Korean War political history Dictatorship

Korean war was terrible, levelling everything on the peninsula. Had to rebuild and was more effective. The economy prospered and become free market but government was nasty dictatorship

Park Chung Hee

One of her aides was a cult religious leader and she was soliciting bribes from large companies (like Samsung)

Party system

Parties change their names a lot Two-party system Current parties Democratic Party - left of center by South Korean standards, (median voter overall in SK is right of U.S.), sympathetic to China, do not like Japan nor U.S. More liberal party They want to talk to the north United Future Party. Very hostile towards communism and China. Warm towards Japan

Economic development

- first wave of asian tigers/countries that really capitalized and developed largest, prosper economic sector after korean war/WW2 Between 1962-1989, Korea had Chinese-style economic growth; lots of expansion and rapid growth Sold low value items on the market and scaled up Started with cheap textiles now they have korean high tech items Villages are still relatively poor, more modest lifestyles. urban/rural economic divide. Resulted in economic inequality After 1989, Korea began to plateau, slow down phase They started competing with lower cost producers like Cambodia; they began moving into high-tech products In 2010, South Korea signed a free trade agreement with the US to boost competitiveness Was controversial for people in agriculture in Korea Eventually both sides ratified in 2011 and it was executed in 2012. There were protests in agricultural sectors since free trade agreement said farms would be open to beans and felt they would be improperly harmed. When Trump was elected, there were worried that the FTA was going to be terminated

Supreme Court

14 justice,1 justice main, 13 secondary. Renewable 6-year terms They are appointed by the president and must be approved by the national assembly Take appeals from the lower courts unless SK is under martial law Determine the constitutionality of regulatory decisions, but not of statutes Final court appeal

Syngman Rhee 1948-60

Believed one election calls for all needs, seemed like nice guy in beginning, became firmly in control Once he got into power, he stayed in power through electoral fraud and material law tactics, brutal suppressive human rights policy He was reelected through fraud after he got really old; created protests and civil unrest; university students; April 19 student revolution (1960). Against the unlawful election The police came and killed 142 students Ri resigned and fled to hawaii and died of natural causes His VP and VP family committed suicide because the shame was too much; but people also think it was an assasination, not sure the real reason. Apr 19 stu rev was against fradulent election, he eventually was forced to resign.

Democratization

Chun had no choice but to hand off power because he did not kill off all the protestors and realized there was nothing much he could do In 1987, there were more democracy protests, so Chun handed power to Roh Tae Woo First democratic president of SK. Roh ended up promoting democracy and was a democratic ruler

Prime Minister

Chung Sye-kyun He has an MBA from Pepperdine PM is appointed by the president Has a vice president role, is a party leader.

Constitutional Court

Terms of 6 years Determine the constitutionality of statutes (legislation) Look into the impeachment of president. Appointed by national assembly and cheif justice.

National Assembly/Kukhoe

Unicameral 300 member for 4-year terms 253 are elected in single-state constituencies The rest of the seats are taken up by specific parties, based on percentage of vote obtained. Number of seats. Basic legislature funtion

Chun Doo-Hwan - 1980-87

Video - fall of his regime. After Kim, no one was in charge. People were confused but he came into control/ established military dictatorship. Kim was tortured and hung. He got rid of efforts to democratize; he began his rule with the Gwanju Massacre in 1981 Leftist city in south korea, socialists, liberals. Students protested and were killed. Tianemen style. The massacre created a lot of anti-American sentiment because the US under reagan approved the massacre Reagan gave Chun a pass because of the massacre and supported him after the massacre.