A Brief Overview of the
Presidents
of South Korea
이승만
Syngman Rhee
1948-1960
- Christian and nationalist
- Korea facing unstable economy, military mutiny and government infighting
- 25 June 1950- Korean War
- Disapproved of ceasefire agreement
- Student Revolution April 1960 forced resignation
1948
- Former mentee of Rhee
- Grew disillusioned with Rhee's authoritarian regime
- Founded liberal opposition party, Democratic Party
- Otherwise ineffectual reign, overthrown in military coup
박정희
Park Chung Hee 1963-1979
- Five Year Plan
- Revitalized the economy
- Encouragment of
- Extensive civil and labor rights abuses
- Declared martial law
- Assassinated by head of KCIA and lifelong friend
1963
전두환
Chun Doo-hwan 1980-1988
- Choi presidency brief and unsupported
- Lt. Gen. Chun used position to secure political power
- Chun later convicted of fraud and taking bribes
5.18 광주민주화운동 (1980)
5.18 Democracy Movement
5.18
- Student union demonstrations demanded democracy, human rights, minimum wage and end to martial law
- Park doubled down in response
- Estimates suggest over 2,000 deaths, mostly protesters
- Gwangju Massacre
- May 2020, May 18 Democratization Movement Truth Committee
노태우
Roh Dae-woo 1988-1993
김영삼
Kim Young-sam 1993-1998
- Roh succeeded Chun; changed constitution elect pres. by popular vote
- Later charged with corruption
- Successor Kim Young-sam, first non-military president, enacted reforms that made this possible
1988/1993
김대중
Kim Dae-jung 1998-2003
- Prevented country from falling into bankruptcy
- Enacted reforms to improve democracy and human rights
- "Sunshine Policy" ( ) toward North Korea
- Was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2000
노무현
Roh Moo-hyun 2003-2008
- Diplomatic approach to North Korea
- Left to deal with faltering economy, labour unrest
- Opposition party fabricated allegations of bribery after end of term
- Committed suicide by jumping off a cliff in 2009 before his name was cleared
2003
이명박
Lee Myung-bak 2008-2013
- Standoffish or even hostile toward North Korea
- North Korean military killed several South Korean military and civilians
- Launched many national projects, including Four Major Rivers Project, which led to massive destruction of environment
박근혜
Park Geun-hye 2013-2017
- Daughter of infamous Park Chun Hee
- "Let's live well" slogan and apologies to those who suffered under her father
- Presidency marked by scandal and challenge
- Sewol Ferry incident ( )
- Involvement of government in extortion of large corporations
- Citizen's Candle Strikes ( ) led to start of impeachment
- First democratically elected president removed from office
문재인
Moon Jae-in
2017-present
- Reduced ties between big business and gvnt.
- Sunshine policy approach tested, reversed campaign trail opposition to Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System in order to protect South Korea
- Summit with Kim Jong-Un in Panmunjom in April 2018, joint declaration for complete denuclearization of peninsula
- Deft handling of Coronavirus pandemic allowed him to regain favor from the populace