Draft South Korea
| Title | South Korea (1919-Today) |
|---|---|
| Author | Lyndsey Twining |
| Actor | Syngman Rhee, Park Chung Hee, Chun Doo-hwan, Kim Young-sam, Kim Dae-jung, Roh Mu-hyun, Lee Myung-bak, Park Geun-hye, Lee Han-yeol, Cheon Tae-il, Psy, Kim Yuna |
| Place | Seoul |
| Event | April Revolution, Vietnam War, June Democracy Movement, Gwangju Massacre , 1988 Seoul Olympics, 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, IMF Crisis, Sinking of the Sewol, 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics |
| Concept | Miracle on the Han, Saemaul Movement, Yushin Constitution, Chaebol, Sunshine Policy, North Korea, USA, Japan |
The Republic of Korea was first founded in 1919, when activists declared independence from Japanese colonial occupation. However, the government was forced to exist in exile in China until Korea gained independence from Japan in 1945 at the end of World War II. Korea was then temporarily divided between the Soviets and Americans, and in 1948, the Republic of Korea resumed control of the southern part of the peninsula under the leadership of Syngman Rhee. Following the Korean War (1950-1953), South Korea continued to have an American military presence. The war-torn country was the recipient of foreign aid, yet economically lagged behind North Korea. In 1960, Rhee was forced to resign after protests against a rigged election.
An interim government was instated but short-lived when, in 1961, Park Chung Hee took over in a military coup and established martial law. His policies focused on intense economic and infrastructural development, including construction of roads, factories, and housing, as well as the New Village (Saemaeul) Movement, a rural modernization initiative. The government also subsidized certain companies, which would later go on to become the hereditary conglomerates, called chaebol in Korean, that form the base of South Korea's economy today. The government also profited economically from sending troops to the Vietnam War. This rapid economic development was accompanied by a population boom and increased urbanization. However, this period was also a time of intense suppression of political opposition, an absence of freedom of the press, and manipulated elections. Park’s implementation of the Yushin Consitution in 1972 granted him control over the parliament and allowed perpetual presidency. Park's legacy is thus mixed, with the impressive economic development that brought the nation out of poverty on one hand, and a legacy of authoritarian violence and human rights violations on the other.
Park was assassinated in 1979, after which Chun Doo-hwan came to power in another military coup. Chun followed the legacy of Park as an autocratic leader. He had political rivals arrested and violently suppressed protesters in the 1980 Gwangju massacre. However, during this time, the economy continued to improve, with the emergence of the electronics and automobile industries. In 1987, students and laborers who had become increasingly distrustful of the government led massive protests which eventually forced the government to capitulate to calls for democratization. A constitution ensuring a direct presidential election and civil rights was instituted. In 1988, a democratic election was held, however, due to a divided opposition vote, a military official of Chun era, Roh Tae-woo, was elected. 1988 was also the year of the Seoul Olympics, which raised Korea’s international recognition.
In 1993, the first civilian president, Kim Young-sam, was elected. South Korea joined the OECD in 1996, but was then faced with the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. This ushered in a period of serious unemployment and financial difficulties, resulting in the International Monetary Fund having to relieve the country.
In 1998, Kim Dae-jung, an opposition party candidate, became president. Kim implemented various economic reforms, including the creation of a national pension and reconstruction of conglomerates, and government support of IT industries. He also pursued the Sunshine Policy, diplomatic policy toward North Korea which encouraged communication. In 2000, Kim received the Nobel Peace Prize for the policy. In 2002, the Korea-Japan World Cup was held.
In 2003, Roh Moo-hyun was inaugurated as president. In 2004, he was voted by the parliament to be impeached over charges of corruption, but he was reinstated by the Constitutional Court. ---------
In 2008, Lee Myung-bak, former mayor of Seoul and former CEO of a Hyundai Group company, became president. In 2008, opposition to US beef imports amid the fear of mad-cow disease led to massive candlelight protests. Following the global financial crisis, economic reforms helped improve the economy. In 2010, the G20 Summit was held in Seoul. -------
In 2013, Park Geun-hye, South Korea elected its first female president, who is also the daughter of former president Park Chung Hee, became president. In 2016, amid a corruption scandal, Park was voted by the parliament to be impeached.
South Korea's soft power has seen massive growth since the 2000s. In 2010, figure skater Kim Yuna won Olympic gold. In 2012, the song Gangnam Style by Psy was released, going on to become the most viewed video on YouTube of all time. This feat symbolized the success of the Korean Wave (hallyu), a term for the popularity of Korean popular culture, including music, food, and television dramas, abroad.
In 2014, a ferry named Sewol carrying hundreds of people, many high school students, began to sink and was abandoned by the captain, leading to the death of most of the people trapped inside. This incident became a national disaster, angering many citizens upset about government-business collusion and lack of government responsibility for citizens' safety, but also triggering partisan conflict about how the issue should be resolved.
In 2018, South Korea will hold the Pyeonghchang Olympics.
Glossary
- People
- Places
- Events
- Objects
- Related States
Media
Further Reading
Editor's Worksheet
Issues to Resolve
- Do we need to mention all presidents?
- How to talk about soft power/hallyu?
- Should Sewol be included? Or the protests again Park? They are really important to know about to understand current public sentiment, which would be helpful for the readers to know.
