Park Chung-hee's Military Coup & Authoritarian Developmentalism (1961-1979)

Korean Political History I: Colonization, Division & the Road to Democracy

Chapter 6 · Park Chung-hee's Military Coup & Authoritarian Developmentalism (1961–1979)

Chapter 5 ended with the Second Republic, a parliamentary system. It lasted about a year. This chapter follows Park Chung-hee from the military coup of 1961 through the Yushin system of 1972 to his assassination in 1979. The sources I used give a clear political timeline, but they give almost no economic figures, so this chapter is a political account and does not try to measure the growth the period is known for.

From Coup to Elected President

Date	Event
16 May 1961	Military coup led by Park Chung-hee.
19 June 1961	The Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) is established.
24 March 1962	Park becomes acting president after Yun Po-sun resigns.
17 December 1963	Park is inaugurated as president after an election; the Third Republic and the Democratic Republican Party date from 1963.

A Coup, Then an Election The source shows Park leading a coup in 1961 and taking office through an election in 1963. I did not find the details of the intervening military government, the election's conduct or its margin, so the chapter does not say how free that election was.

Foreign Policy and Vietnam

22 June 1965: a treaty normalizing relations with Japan, including $300 million in compensation. This ties back to Chapter 1: the annexation's legal status was a central issue in those negotiations, and I did not research the domestic reaction.
September 1965 and 1966: South Korean divisions were sent to South Vietnam, and the source gives a total commitment of approximately 320,000 troops, second only to the United States.
July 1966: a Status of Forces Agreement with the United States.

Changing the Rules Again

In 1969 a constitutional amendment enabled a third presidential term. In the 1971 election Park won by a closer margin than expected. In October 1972 he declared martial law in what the source describes as a self-coup and introduced the Yushin Constitution.

The Vote

A referendum on 21 November 1972 approved the constitution with a reported 92.3 percent support, under martial law. Treat the figure as reported, not as a measure of opinion.

How the President Was Chosen

Indirectly, through the National Conference for Unification. Direct election, which Chapter 5 traced to 1952, ended.

Presidential Powers

The president could appoint one-third of the National Assembly, and terms were extended to six years with no limit on re-election. Park won unopposed in 1972 and 1978.

The Pattern Recurs Chapter 5 described Rhee changing the rules for holding office in 1952 and 1954. Park did the same in 1969 and again, far more thoroughly, in 1972. The Fourth Republic (November 1972 to February 1981, by the source's dating) is therefore the same theme at a larger scale. The sources do not say whether Park copied Rhee's methods, so treat the comparison as mine.

Repression and Its Limits

The source lists events of the Yushin years: the kidnapping of opposition leader Kim Dae-jung in 1973, the executions of the People's Revolutionary Party in 1975, and an assassination attempt on Park on 15 August 1974 that killed his wife, Yuk Young-soo. I did not research the emergency decrees, the circumstances of these events or the number of people affected, so the chapter names them and does not describe them.

1979

In October 1979 the Busan-Masan Uprising occurred. On 26 October 1979 Park was assassinated by Kim Jae-gyu, the director of the KCIA, the agency created in 1961. Political instability followed, and Chun Doo-hwan seized power through successive coups in December 1979 and May 1980. Chapter 7 covers this.

What I Could Not Support Chapter titles often say "developmentalism" or "Miracle on the Han River." The sources I read named the Five-Year Plans but gave no dates and no growth figures, so I have no measured economic claims to offer. I also did not verify Kim Jae-gyu's motive. Nothing in this chapter should be read as a judgment on how the growth relates to the repression.

Hands-On Exercises

Exercise 1

Trace the changes to how the president was chosen and how long he could serve from 1948 to 1972, using Chapters 3, 5 and 6.

→ Solution

Exercise 2

A student writes "Park was elected with 92.3 percent in 1972." Identify the error and rewrite the sentence.

→ Solution

Exercise 3

Say what the chapter can and cannot claim about Park's economic record, and name two other things it does not establish.

→ Solution

Quick Reference

16 May 1961: coup; 19 June 1961: KCIA created; 17 Dec 1963: Park inaugurated, Third Republic
1965: Japan normalization treaty ($300 million); Vietnam deployment about 320,000 troops in total
1969: amendment enabling a third term; 1971: closer-than-expected victory
17 Oct 1972: martial law and self-coup; 21 Nov 1972: referendum, reported 92.3 percent
Yushin: indirect election via the National Conference for Unification, one-third of the Assembly appointed, six-year terms with no limit
26 Oct 1979: Park assassinated by KCIA director Kim Jae-gyu
Not covered: economic figures, the emergency decrees, 1963 election conduct