Korean Republics Before 1992

• The democratization of Korean society has been shaped by mass protests, with nearly every Korean republic prior to 1992 beginning or ending in uprisings or coups.

The April Revolution (1960)

• Syngman Rhee was president from 1948-1960.
• According to the CIA, Rhee used totalitarian tactics such as stringent censorship, police terrorism, and extra-governmental agencies to terrorize opposition groups.
• In 1952, Rhee declared martial law, arrested assemblymen, censored the press, and intimidated the assembly.
• In the 1954 general elections, Rhee's Liberal Party won a landslide victory due to political controls and a weak opposition.
• Rhee attempted to secure a third term in office through a constitutional amendment but fell one vote short of the required two-thirds majority.
• Prior to the 1958 National Assembly elections, Rhee executed his political rival, Cho Bong-am, following a rigged trial, and withdrew Cho's party registration.
• In 1958, Rhee revised the National Security Law, imposing up to five years in jail.
• The jail term was for those who knowingly disseminated false information or distorted facts to benefit the enemy.
• The presidential election in 1960 had claims of ballot stuffing and group voting.
• Ballot boxes disappearing from opposition strongholds prompted student protests which followed in Masan, leading to several deaths.
• On April 12, 1960, Kim Joo-yeol, a middle school student missing since election day, was found dead in Masan harbor with grenade fragments in his eye socket.
• Masan had mass protests with up to 40,000 people that begun in the 1940s with a strong left wing.
• The police fired into the crowds.
• The American commander approved the release of troops to restore order.
• The rebellion spread and martial law was declared.
• The April 1960 "Revolution" ("4.19 혁명") became commemorated as sa-il-gu (4.1.9).
• On April 19, 1960, a crowd of at least 100,000 people converged demanding to see Rhee.
• Palace guards fired into the crowd, resulting in at least 115 young people deaths and about 1,000 injuries.
• Regular army units secured order with the aid of protesting students who saw that many soldiers sympathized with them.
• On April 25, hundreds of university professors protested for Rhee to resign, and 50,000 demonstrators demolished the Vice President's home.
• The U.S. Ambassador urged Rhee to resign.
• On April 29, Rhee went into exile in Hawaii, subsequently causing his Liberal Party was gone soon after.

Second Republic (1960-1961)

• First democratic government who was PM Chang Myon (장면) of the opposition Democratic Party.
• Had bicameral parliamentary system.
• It had the cabinet to the legislature, the executive presidency became little more than ceremonial unit.
• Kim Il-sung proposed a confederal system of unification.
• Brief experiment with democracy but had economic stagnation, dependency on the US, and political instability.

Military Coup (May 16, 1961)

• Park Chung-hee and army/marine officers put armored units at strategic points in Seoul to secure radio stations, press and the government bloodlessly, with Washington agreed.
• The junta closed the National Assembly and banned all political activity by May 17.
• A Committee advocated eradicating all corruption and social evils, promising anticommunism, close ties with the US, and a self-supporting economy.
• Power would return to civilians once those goals were realized.
• Park ran Korea for the next two years under an emergency junta.
• The emergency junta was called the Supreme Council of National Reconstruction.
• It had the proclaiming of a 1961 "extraordinary measures law" which suspended many parts of Chang Myon's 1960 constitution.
• 2,000 politicians were arrested; 13,300 civil servants and officers were arrested/purged.
• A law in 1962 banned 4,367 politicians from politicking for six years.
• 49 of the 64 daily newspapers in Seoul were closed.
• In 1961, Park added the anticommunist law to go with the National Security Law.
• All socialist countries were then defined as enemy states.
• It had the plan to restore civilian rule announced under U.S. pressure.
• In 1962, military leaders drew up a new constitution that restored the executive presidency under Rhee.
• Also had the unicameral legislature.
• Park retired from the military in order to run for president, winning 47% of the vote.

3rd Republic (1963-1972)

• Political groups of the Third Republic were created, Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) as well as Parks Democratic Republican Party (DRP).
• The normalization treaty with Japan prompted student demonstrations that begun in 1964.
• Threats to abolishthe National Assembly and restate that martial law started those demonstrations.
• Martial law was declared and SK Army troops divisions were created on the American Commanders compliance to quell street demonstrations in June 1964.
• Rapid growth with comparative stability took place in years from 1965 to 1971
• The export program translated into political growth as Park ran for re-election in 1967.
• Parks fair win that lead to more than a million votes were due to the millions of US dollar that the DRP and KCIA had.
• opposition who had little power in the late 1960’s saw zero of 306 government bills getting rejected in assembly.

The Yushin (유신) Era (1972-79)

• In October, 1972, Park made martials laws, and abolished the National Assembly, with parties of the political field, and restricted free communications that was shocking to the media.
• military government ran democratically that lead to dictator government.
• Parks rules gave him little accountability and full of power in anything.
• National Security was already in place, but Park issued it that made criticism against their security.
• Internationally, dramatic changes in U.S such as Nixon to visit China that shocked Seoul with cuts that made a crisis for Park.
• Politically he had only little win with 46% of the votes.
• Jeolla had Kim leading with the help of American oil firms.

The Labor Movement

• It began in the 70s that showed strongly in politics in 79-80
• The old labor was intervened when Rhee ran the government, but the war hurt interests with management.
• In the early 1960s KCIA reorganized labor form the top with sector workplace and loyalty to Park.
• Teen girls would do all the work with little pay in the take off of the 60s.
• Jeon Tae-il died in 1970 that inspired Labor move

Religious Leaders' Dissent

• Sanctuaries lead into the park dictatorship for the KCIA with Latin theology The Christian Manifesto was a protest for the man leading and with unjust.

Busan-Masan Protests (1979)

• Lead to Park's death and the death of body guards

• This happen in the standing events of 2020

• This went into Korea with other coupe

• It led to a brief openness of peace but with political change .

• Chun Headed major lead when Park died .

• General Chun lead using Roh to begin

• Chun made himself leader while staying as security, he dissolved everything made and had them arested

• On May 18 the Gwangju became the Elite of high grounds and made people murder.

• Soldiers led to killing innocent and arrested Kim to be lead of the 5th government Chun banned a lot of officials and purge them 37,00 went to mountains to teach with student

• Young people begun to factories work to merge with Korea.

• There was a return for Kim that show the population split

• In 1987 Police had torture that open many protests.

• Middle class begin to stop

• Parks death saw an increased protest.

• In june of 1987 there was a strike for people.

• The Roh announce the election of park and Kim .

• The opposition made to many split up so it never work out.

• Democracy did not happened.

Explore characteristics of Korean republics before Kim Young Sam. Syngman Rhee's tactics to maintain power and the purpose of martial law in 1952. Also examine 'sa-sa, o-ip' logic used during Rhee's third term attempt.