Military's Role In South Korean Politics

For more than three decades, the military dominated South Korean politics and was arguably the most powerful actor. South Korea under the leadership of military generals Park Chung-hee, Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo relied heavily on the military in maintaining the stability of their respective regimes. On 16 May 1961, General Park Chung-hee staged a coup and deposed the democratic government of the Second Republic. In December 1979, General Chun Doo-hwan led the second coup against the short-lived government under Choi Kyu-hah after the assassination of Park Chung-hee. While General Roh Tae-Woo was popularly elected into presidency, his term of office was also marked by an era of military supremacy, where the cabinet and bureaucracy were largely

Their civilian administration was perceived as incompetent and becoming increasingly unpopular due to the rivalry between the two key political leaders. Not only was the internally fragmented civilian government unable to bring the country out of “economic poverty, political instability, and social stagnation”, it was also marred by pervasive corruption. Its ineffectiveness in restoring social order after the April 19 Revolution which toppled the Syngman Rhee regime generated discontent amongst the population as well as rampant fear of communist insurgencies due to the recent memory of the Korean War. All these significantly reduced the credibility of the civilian government. Therefore, General Park, believing that the nation was on the verge of collapse and that the military was the only actor that could save the country, staged a coup to overthrow the government, thereby ushering in an era of military dominance in South Korean politics. Park justified his military regime by promising and delivering administrative efficiency which was severely lacking under civilian rule. He introduced various economic reforms and development projects which culminated in a high economic growth rate of 8 percent within his second year in power. Having long suffered from poverty and starvation after the war, this economic prosperity benefited the society as a whole and generated political legitimacy for Park’s regime. While the coercive element of an authoritarian rule was definitely present, the population at large was more than willing to overlook it for the economic benefits the regime ensured. This is especially evident through the Park’s victory in the direct presidential elections of 1963 and 1967. Therefore, the weak institutions under the civilian leadership, coupled with Park’s ability to improve the lives of the