The political system of the Republic of Korea

Following the division of the Korean peninsula into a southern and a northern part at the end of the Second World War, the Republic of Korea (South Korea) was established in its southern part in 1948. The 1950 attack by the communist regime established in the northern part provoked a three-year war, which completely devastated the peninsula. When an armistice was signed in 1953, the Republic of Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. Its political system was marked by a very strong attitude of anti-communism, which manifested itself in the strict application of the 1948 National Security Law. Following the military coup of 1961, two successive presidents – Park and Chun – focused on the promotion of the country's economic development, while suppressing civil liberties and political freedoms. The end of authoritarianism in 1987 and the successful transition to a well-functioning democracy were marked by the rewriting of the Constitution and the democratic transfer of power to an opposition candidate in 1997-1998. The Constitution of the Sixth Republic gives a very strong role to the office of the president, who not only has the right to introduce bills but also has very extensive powers in cases of an emergency. The legislative branch of government is incarnated by the unicameral Parliament, the Korean National Assembly (NKA). Among its competences is the right to launch an impeachment motion against the president, a right the KNA successfully exercised in December 2016. The judicial power is held by the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court, both of which in March 2017 upheld the impeachment, leading to the removal of President Park and new presidential elections. The rising importance of women in the National Assembly and the peaceful character of the 2016-2017 events are a sign of the maturity of Korea's democracy, but the role of the chaebol (industrial conglomerates) in particular remains a challenge to the smooth functioning of Korea's democratic order.