The power nature of the Yushin system (1972 - 1979)

Abstract

     The late 1960s - early 1970s experienced many changes in regional and international political relations and movement from the era of confrontation to the era of negotiation. In addition, South Korea’s export-oriented economic development strategy with a focus on the light industry revealed many limitations in the 1960s. Therefore, at that time, President Park Chung Hee was forced to find a way to bring South Korea out of the crisis in general and protect his power in particular. In 1972, Park Chung Hee promulgated the Yushin Constitution to constitutionalize the establishment of “a new authoritarianism” - the Yushin system. The Yushin system was formed by the ideology of Park Chung Hee. In this paper, I attempt to initially search the ideological foundation and the organization of the state apparatus of the Yushin system.