Restricting Presidential Power

The importance of restricting presidential power in Korea was undeniably proven during the often-brutal regimes that ruled the South before 1987. This was especially prominent during the terms of Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-Hwan, the latter of which was responsible for the infamous Gwangju Massacre in 1980. The origins of these regimes, however, began in the establishment of the 1948 constitution, which in the words of Yeh “…adopted a presidential system that failed to provide sufficient checks and balances in relation to the presidency” (Yeh 912). These initial failures to create a balanced and limited presidency, which eventually led to the removal of term limits by Syngman Rhee. These actions provided the means for future Korean dictators, …show more content…
Park ruled South Korea from 1963 to 1979, and created a system known as Yushin, putting an end to many of the democratic laws that remained at the beginning of his term. Summarized by Cheol, Yushin “enabled [Park Chung-hee] to remain president permanently and severely restricted political pluralism, concentrating political power in the president himself.” (Cheol 229). As a result of this policy Park’s iron-fisted presidency, unimpeded by term limitations, fair elections, or the separation of powers, continued until his assassination in 1979. Chung-hee’s terms also oversaw numerous crackdowns on protests and free speech, and these attributes would be reinforced by the incoming president Chun, who openly continued the Yushin system (Choe and Kim 59). It was this successive build-up of power that precipitated the uprising and subsequent massacre at Gwangju in May of 1980. After Chun ascended to power in a coup, destroying hopes for a democratic transition in the wake of Park’s death, a pro-democracy protest movement took to the streets of the city. The protest was led mainly by students, a group that was fervently oppressed under