South Korea

==== Post-Korean War (1960–1990) ====
[[File:Park Chung-hee.jpg|thumb|President [[Park Chung Hee]] played a pivotal role in rapidly developing South Korea's economy through [[export-oriented industrialization]].]]In 1960, a student uprising (the "[[April Revolution]]") led to the resignation of the autocratic President Syngman Rhee. This was followed by 13 months of political instability as South Korea was led by a weak and ineffectual government. This instability was broken by the [[May 16 coup|16 May 1961 coup]] led by General [[Park Chung Hee]]. As president, Park oversaw a period of rapid [[Export-oriented industrialization|export-led economic growth]] enforced by [[Political repression in South Korea|political repression]]. Under Park, South Korea [[South Korea in the Vietnam War|took an active role]] in the Vietnam War.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Griffiths |first=James |title=The 'forgotten' My Lai: South Korea's Vietnam War massacres |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/23/asia/south-korea-vietnam-massacre-intl/index.html |date=23 February 2018 |access-date=28 March 2024 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612151022/https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/23/asia/south-korea-vietnam-massacre-intl/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Park was heavily criticized as a ruthless military dictator, who in 1972 extended his rule by creating a [[Yusin Constitution|new constitution]], which gave the president sweeping (almost dictatorial) powers and permitted him to run for an unlimited number of six-year terms. The [[Economy of South Korea|Korean economy]] developed significantly during Park's tenure. The government developed the [[Expressways in South Korea|nationwide expressway system]], the [[Seoul Metropolitan Subway|Seoul subway system]], and laid the foundation for economic development during his 17-year tenure, which ended with [[Assassination of Park Chung Hee|his assassination]] in 1979.

The years after Park's assassination were marked again by political turmoil, as the previously suppressed opposition leaders all campaigned to run for president in the sudden political void. In 1979, General [[Chun Doo-hwan]] led the [[coup d'état of December Twelfth]]. Following the coup d'état, Chun planned to rise to power through several measures. On May 17, Chun forced the Cabinet to expand martial law to the whole nation, which had previously not applied to the island of [[Jejudo]]. The expanded martial law closed universities, banned political activities, and further curtailed the press. Chun's assumption of the presidency through the events of May 17 triggered nationwide protests demanding democracy; these protests were particularly focused in the city of [[Gwangju]], to which Chun sent special forces to violently suppress the [[Gwangju Uprising|Gwangju Democratization Movement]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/752055.stm Flashback: The Kwangju massacre] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110907135824/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/752055.stm |date=7 September 2011 }}, 17 May 2000.</ref>

Chun subsequently created the National Defense Emergency Policy Committee and took the presidency according to his political plan. Chun and his government held South Korea under a despotic rule until 1987, when a [[Seoul National University]] student, [[Park Jong-chul]], was tortured to death.<ref>[http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/184219.html "20 years later, father still seeks truth in son's death"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303173203/http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/184219.html |date=3 March 2016 }}, ''The Hankyoreh'', 15 January 2007. Retrieved 15 July 2010.</ref> On {{Nowrap|June 10}}, the [[Catholic Priests Association for Justice]] revealed the incident, igniting the [[June Democratic Struggle]] across the country. Eventually, Chun's party, the [[Democratic Justice Party]], and its leader, [[Roh Tae-woo]], announced the [[June 29 Declaration]], which included the direct election of the president. Roh went on to win the election by a narrow margin against the two main opposition leaders, [[Kim Dae-jung]] and [[Kim Young-sam]]. Seoul hosted the [[1988 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games in 1988]], widely regarded as successful and a significant boost for South Korea's global image and economy.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/10/229_12790.html |title=Two Decedes After Seoul Olympics |date=30 October 2007 |newspaper=[[The Korea Times]] |access-date=12 March 2018 |archive-date=25 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025132245/http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/10/229_12790.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[United Nations Security Council Resolution 702|South Korea was formally invited]] to become a member of the United Nations in 1991. The transition of Korea from autocracy to modern democracy was marked in 1997 by the election of Kim Dae-jung, who was sworn in as the eighth president of South Korea on 25 February 1998. His election was significant given that he had in earlier years been a political prisoner sentenced to death (later commuted to exile). He won against the backdrop of the [[1997 Asian financial crisis]], where he took [[IMF]] advice to restructure the economy and the nation soon recovered its economic growth, albeit at a slower pace.<ref name="The Guardian-2009">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/aug/18/obituary-kim-dae-jung |title=Kim Dae-jung |date=18 August 2009 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=12 March 2018 |archive-date=10 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010123345/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/aug/18/obituary-kim-dae-jung |url-status=live }}</ref>