Sixth Republic of South Korea

Coordinates: 36°N 128°E / 36°N 128°E / 36; 128

Republic of Korea 대한민국 大韓民國 Daehan Minguk
Flag Emblem
Motto: "홍익인간" (Korean) (de facto) "Benefit broadly in the human world/Devotion to the Welfare of Humanity"[1]
Anthem: Aegukga "애국가" (Korean) (de facto) "Patriotic Song"
Government Emblem 대한민국정부 상징문양 (Korean) Government Emblem of South Korea
Area controlled by the Republic of Korea shown in green
Capital and largest city		Seoul 37°33′N 126°58′E / 37.550°N 126.967°E / 37.550; 126.967
Official languages		Korean
Official scripts		Hangul
Ethnic groups		no official statistics[2][3]
Demonym		South Korean Korean
Government		Unitary presidential constitutional republic
•	President	Park Geun-hye
•	Prime Minister	Hwang Kyo-ahn
•	Speaker of the National Assembly	Chung Sye-kyun
•	Chief Justice	Yang Sung-tae
Legislature		National Assembly
Establishment
•	Current constitution	October 29, 1987
Area
•	Total	100,210 km2 38,691 sq mi
•	Water (%)	0.3 (301 km2 / 116 mi2)
Population
•	2016 estimate	50,801,405[4][5] (27th)
•	Density	507/km2 (23rd) 1,313.1/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2016 estimate
•	Total	$1.929 trillion[6] (13th)
•	Per capita	$37,948[6] (28th)
GDP (nominal)		2016 estimate
•	Total	$1.404 trillion[6] (11th)
•	Per capita	$27,633[6] (27th)
Gini (2013)		30.2[7] medium
HDI (2014)		0.898[8] very high · 17th
Currency		South Korean won (₩) (KRW)
Time zone		Korea Standard Time (UTC+9)
Date format		yyyy년 m월 d일 yyyy. m. d. (CE)
Drives on the		right
Calling code		+82
ISO 3166 code		KR
Internet TLD		.kr .한국

Part of a series on the
History of South Korea
USAMGIK 1945–48 First Republic 1948–60  : Korean War 1950–53  : Syngman Rhee administration 1948–60  : April Revolution 1960  : Heo Jeong Caretaker Government 1960 Second Republic 1960–61  : Jang Myeon Cabinet 1960–61  : May 16 coup 1961 Constitutional Vacuum 1961–63  : Yoon Bo-seon administration 1961–62  : First Junta 1961–63 Third Republic 1963–72  : Park Chung-hee administration 1963–72  : Self-coup of Park Chung-hee 1972 Fourth Republic 1972–81  : Assassination of Park Chung-hee 1979  : Coup d'état of December Twelfth 1979  : Coup d'état of May Seventeenth 1980  : Gwangju Uprising 1980  : Second Junta 1980–81 Fifth Republic 1981–87  : Chun Doo-hwan administration 1981–87  : June Democratic Uprising 1987  : Grand Labor Struggle 1987 Sixth Republic 1987–present  : Roh Tae-woo administration 1987–93  : Kim Young-sam administration 1993–98  : National Moratorium 1997–2001  : Kim Dae-jung administration 1998–2003  : Roh Moo-hyun administration 2003–2008  : Lee Myung-bak administration 2008–2013  : Park Geun-hye administration 2013–present
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The Sixth Republic is the current government of the Republic of Korea since October 29, 1987.

History

The Sixth Republic began in 1987, with the transfer of power from the authoritarian Fifth Republic of Chun Doo-hwan, as a result of popular protests. In modern independent South Korea, typically governments have changed as the result of coups and assassinations. The Sixth Republic has represented a break from previous South Korean politics and has presided over South Korea's most successful period of economic development.

Roh Tae-woo, 1988–1993

Roh Tae-woo became president for the 13th presidential term in the first direct presidential election in 16 years. Although Roh was from a military background and one of the leaders of Chun's coup d'etat, the inability of the opposition leaders Kim Dae Jung and Kim Young Sam to agree on a unified candidacy led to his being elected.^[9][10]

Roh was officially inaugurated in February 1988. The government set out to eliminate past vestiges of authoritarian rule, by revising laws and decrees to fit democratic provisions. Freedom of the press was expanded, university autonomy recognised, and restrictions on overseas travels were lifted.^[11] However, the growth of the economy had slowed down compared to the 1980s, with strong labor unions and higher wages reducing the competitiveness of Korean products on the international market, resulting in stagnant exports, while commodity prices kept on rising.

Shortly after Roh's inauguration, the Seoul Olympics took place, raising South Korea's international recognition and also greatly influencing foreign policy. Roh's government announced the official unification plan, Nordpolitik, and established diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union, China, and countries in East Europe.^[9]

An historic event was held in 1990 when North Korea accepted the proposal for exchange between the two Koreas, resulting in high-level talks, and cultural and sports exchanges. In 1991, a joint communiqué on denuclearization was agreed upon, and the two Koreas simultaneously became members of the UN.^[9][12]

Kim Young-sam, 1993–1998

Kim Young-sam was elected president in the 1992 elections after Roh's tenure. He was the country's first civilian president in 30 years and promised to build a "New Korea".^[13] The government set out to correct the mistakes of the previous administrations. Local government elections were held in 1995, and parliamentary elections in 1996. In a response to popular demand, former presidents Chun and Roh were both indicted on charges linked to bribery, illegal funds, and in the case of Chun, responsibility for the incident in Gwangju. They were tried and sentenced to prison in December, 1996.^[13][14]

Relations with the North improved and a summit meeting was planned, but postponed indefinitely with the death of Kim Il-sung. Tensions varied between the two Koreas thereafter, with cycles of small military skirmishes and apologies. The government also carried out substantial financial and economical reforms, joining the OECD in 1996, but encountered difficulties with political and financial scandals. The country also faced a variety of catastrophes: a train collision and a ship sinking in 1993, and the Seongsu Bridge and Sampoong Department Store collapses in 1994 and 1995. These incidents, which claimed many lives, were a blow to the civilian government.^[13]

In 1997, the nation suffered a severe financial crisis, and the government approached the International Monetary Fund for relief funds. This was the limit to what the nation could bear and led to the opposition leader Kim Dae-jung winning the presidency in the same year.^[13] This is the first time an opposition candidate won the presidency.

Kim Dae-jung 1998–2003

In February 1998, Kim Dae-jung was officially inaugurated. South Korea had maintained its commitment to democratize its political processes and this was the first transfer of the government between parties by peaceful means. Kim's government faced the daunting task of overcoming the economic crisis, but with the joint efforts of the government's aggressive pursuit of foreign investment, cooperation from the industrial sector, and the citizen's gold-collecting campaign, the country was able to come out of the crisis in a relatively short period of time.^[15][16][17]

Industrial reconstruction of the big conglomerate chaebols was pursued, a national pension system was established in 1998, educational reforms were carried out, government support for the IT field was increased, and notable cultural properties were registered as UNESCO Cultural Heritage sites.^[17] The 2002 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted with Japan, was a major cultural event where millions of supporters gathered to cheer in public places.^[18]

In diplomacy, Kim Dae-jung pursued the "Sunshine Policy", a series of efforts to reconcile with North Korea.^[19] This culminated in reunions of the separated families of the Korean War and a summit talk with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. For these efforts, Kim Dae-jung was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000.^[20] However, between a lack of peaceful cooperation from North Korea and the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, changing the view of the U.S. on North Korea, the efficacy of the Sunshine Policy was brought into question. With added allegations of corruption, support waned in the later years of the administration.^[16][17][21]

Roh Moo-hyun, 2003–2008

Roh Moo-hyun was elected to the presidency in December 2002 by direct election. His victory came with much support from the younger generation and civic groups who had hopes of a participatory democracy, and Roh's administration consequently launched with the motto of "participation government". Unlike the previous governments, the administration decided to take a long-term view and execute market-based reforms at a gradual pace.^[22] This approach did not please the public, however, and by the end of 2003, approval ratings were falling.^[23]

The Roh administration succeeded in overcoming regionalism in South Korean politics, diluting the collusive ties between politics and business, empowering the civil society, settling the Korea-United States FTA issue, continuing summit talks with North Korea, and launching the high-speed train system, KTX. But despite a boom in the stock market, youth unemployment rates were high, real estate prices skyrocketed and the economy lagged.^[24]

In March 2004, the National Assembly voted to impeach Roh on charges of breach of election laws and corruption. This motion rallied his supporters and affected the outcome of the parliamentary election held in April, with the ruling party becoming the majority. Roh was reinstated in May by the Constitutional Court, who had overturned the verdict. However, the ruling party then lost its majority in by-elections in 2005, as discontinued reform plans, continual labor unrest, Roh's personal feuds with the media, and diplomatic friction with the United States and Japan caused criticism of the government's competence on political and socioeconomic issues and on foreign affairs.^[23][25][26]

In April 2009, Roh Moo-hyun and his family members were investigated for bribery and corruption; Roh denied the charges. On 23 May 2009, Roh committed suicide by jumping into a ravine.^[25][27][28]

Lee Myung-bak, 2008–2013

Roh's successor, Lee Myung-bak, was inaugurated in February 2008. Stating "creative pragmatism" as a guiding principle, Lee's administration set out to revitalize the flagging economy, re-energize diplomatic ties, stabilize social welfare, and meet the challenges of globalization.^[29][30] In April 2008, the ruling party secured a majority in the National Assembly elections.^[31] Also that month, summit talks with the United States addressed the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement and helped ease tensions between the two countries caused by the previous administrations. Lee agreed to lift the ban on US beef imports, which caused massive protests and demonstrations in the months that followed, as paranoia of potential mad cow disease gripped the country.^[32]

Many issues plagued the government in the beginning of the administration: controversies regarding the appointment of high-ranking government officials, rampant political conflicts, accusations of oppression of media and strained diplomatic relationships with North Korea and Japan.^[33] The economy was affected by the global recession as the worst economic crisis since 1997 hit the country.^[34] The Lee administration tackled these issues by actively issuing statements, reshuffling the cabinet, and implementing administrative and industrial reforms.^[35]

After regulatory and economic reforms, the economy bounced back, with the country's economy marking growth and apparently recovering from the global recession.^{[36][37][38][39]} The administration also pursued improved diplomatic relations by holding summit talks with the United States, China and Japan, and participating in the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit to strengthen ties with other Asian countries.^[40] The 2010 G20 summit was held in Seoul, where issues regarding the global economic crisis were discussed.^[41]

Park Geun-hye, 2013–current

Park Geun-hye was inaugurated in February 2013. She is the eleventh and current President of South Korea. She is the first woman to be elected as the South Korean president and is serving the 18th presidential term. She also is the first woman head of state in the modern history of Northeast Asia.^[42]

Since October 25, 2016, several protests against Park Geun-hye have occurred throughout South Korea. Thousands of South Korean protesters denounced the Park administration's political scandal and called for the resignation of Park Geun-hye.^[43][44]

Leaders of the Sixth Republic

  Conservative (current: Saenuri Party)   Liberal (current: Minjoo Party of Korea)

No	Picture	Name	Term	Tenure		Presidential mandate	Affiliation
Presidents of the Sixth Republic
6		Roh Tae-woo No Taeu 노태우 盧泰愚 (1933–)	13	25 February 1988	24 February 1993	1987 — 36.6% 8,282,738	Democratic Justice Party
			The first President of the Sixth Republic of South Korea and the first president after the introduction of direct free and fair elections. Roh remained committed to democratic reforms, and also hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Formerly served as a ROK Army general, an ally and friend of the previous President of the Fifth Republic Chun Doo-hwan.
7		Kim Young-sam Gim Yeongsam 김영삼 金泳三 (1927–2015)	14	25 February 1993	24 February 1998	1992 — 42.0% 9,977,332	Democratic Liberal Party (1993–1995) New Korea Party (1995–1997)
			The second President of the Sixth Republic of South Korea. The first democratic activist to be elected president. Kim further attempted to reform the government and economy. He had former President Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo arrested on charges of corruption and treason, winning convictions against both, but later pardoned them on the advice of then President-elect Kim Dae-jung. Kim Young-sam also granted amnesty to thousands of political prisoners, and removed the criminal convictions of pro-democracy protesters who had been arrested during the Gwangju massacre in the aftermath of the Coup d'état of December Twelfth. Led an anti-corruption campaign, requiring government and military officials to publish their financial records, precipitating the resignation of several high-ranking officers and cabinet members.
8		Kim Dae-jung Gim Daejung 김대중 金大中 (1924–2009)	15	25 February 1998	24 February 2003	1997 — 40.3% 10,326,275	National Congress for New Politics (1998–2000) New Millennium Democratic Party (2000–2002)
			The third President of the Sixth Republic of South Korea. The first liberal/centrist President of the Sixth Republic. Kim formulated and implemented the Sunshine Policy of engagement with North Korea, and became the first South Korean president to visit North Korea in 2000, meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang. Nobel Peace Prize recipient in 2000 "for his work for democracy and human rights in South Korea and in East Asia in general, and for peace and reconciliation with North Korea in particular."[45] Co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup with the neighboring country of Japan.
9		Roh Moo-hyun No Muhyeon 노무현 盧武鉉 (1946–2009)	16	25 February 2003	12 March 2004	2002 — 48.91% 12,014,277	New Millennium Democratic Party (2003)
				During this interval, Prime Minister Goh Kun (고건 / 高建) was Acting President.
				14 May 2004	24 February 2008	Impeachment failed; reinstated	Open Uri Party (Our Open Party) (2004–2007)
			The fourth President of the Sixth Republic of South Korea. The second liberal/centrist President of the Sixth Republic. Roh maintained the existing Sunshine Policy of engagement towards North Korea. The first President of the Sixth Republic to be tried for impeachment. Roh's planned to the create an administrative capital, but he was set back by the Supreme Court's ruling that the relocation of the capital was unconstitutional. Instead Roh opted for an administrative center. Served as Member of the National Assembly for Dong District, Busan (1988–1992).
10		Lee Myung-bak I Myeongbak 이명박 李明博 (1941–)	17	25 February 2008	24 February 2013	2007 — 48.7% 11,492,389	Grand National Party (2008–2012) Saenuri Party (New Frontier Party) (2012–2013)
			The fifth President of the Sixth Republic of South Korea. Lee implemented a tougher policy with regard to North Korea, through the MB Doctrine. Reversed the U.S. beef import arrangement in 2008, triggering a series of anti–U.S. beef import protests. Attempted to scale down the development of Sejong into a hub of education, science and business rather than a national administrative center, with the support and backing of the former Prime Minister Chung Un-chan. Growing conflicts with North Korea resulted in the ROKS Cheonan sinking and bombardment of Yeonpyeong. Lee also became the first South Korean president to visit Dokdo, which further escalated tensions with Japan in 2012 before the end of his term. Served as Member of the National Assembly for Jongno District (1996–1998), Mayor of Seoul (2002–2006).
11		Park Geun-hye Bak Geunhye 박근혜 朴槿惠 (1952–)	18	25 February 2013	Presumably resigned	2012 — 51.6% 15,773,128	Saenuri Party (New Frontier Party)
			The sixth President of the Sixth Republic of South Korea. Park is a daughter of former President Park Chung-hee, and she is the first female President of South Korea. Served as Member of the National Assembly for Dalseong County (1998–2012), and as a party list member (2012).

See also

• History of South Korea
• History of Korea
• List of Korea-related topics

References