Election Date: April 9, 2008

Abstract: At stake: National Assembly

At stake: National Assembly

Background

The republic of South Korea was born with an agreement made by the allied forces in Potsdam after World War II, in 1945. The Korean peninsula was divided in a northern part controlled by the Soviet Union, and a southern part controlled by American forces.

In 1948, Syngman Rhee became the country’s first president after voters elected a National Assembly. A republican constitution was adopted, and the United Nations (UN) recognized the new republic as the legitimate government of Korea.

During the 1950-1953 Korean War, American troops and UN forces fought alongside soldiers from the south to defend South Korea from North Korean attacks supported by China and the Soviet Union. An armistice was signed on Jul. 27, 1953.

In 1960, Rhee resigned over criticism for his authoritarian style. A year later, Park Chung Hee seized power. His tenure focused moistly on economic growth.

In 1979, Park was assassinated by Kim Jae Kyu, head of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency. Political dissidents were then freed from prison by the new president, Choi Kyu Hah.

In 1993, Kim Yo’ng-sam became South Korea’s first civilian president following 32 years of military rulers. The decade was marked by an economic crisis following mismanagement and corruption in the private and public sectors.

In 1996, the country became a member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). After the 1997 Asian financial crisis, South Korea recovered and emerged as one of the world’s strongest economies.

In June 2000, a historic first North-South summit took place in North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang, between the South’s President Kim Tae-chung and the North’s leader Kim Jong Il. Relations between the two countries have improved significantly since then, but remain tense. A formal peace treaty has never been signed, and a one-mile demilitarized zone still separates the two countries. Kim Tae-chung later won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in favour of peace and democracy.

A long-time political activist jailed briefly during the 1987 pro-democracy demonstrations, Roh Moo-hyun won the December 2002 presidential election. His term was tarnished by a judicial investigation into the behaviour of personal aide Choi Do-sool, who allegedly accepted an illegal campaign contribution of almost $1 million U.S. from private firm SK Group. The Asian nation has a long history of political malfeasance, culminating in the "Slush Fund Scandal", which led to the imprisonment of former presidents Roh Tae-Woo and Chun Doo-Hwan.

Before his first year in office was over, Roh lost the support of the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP). A small segment of 42 former MDP lawmakers decided to stand by the president under the banner of the liberal-leaning Uri Party.

In March 2004, the conservative-leaning Grand National Party and the MDP submitted the first presidential impeachment motion in the country’s history, seeking to unseat Roh after he breached electoral laws—that state civil servants should remain neutral in times of legislative elections—by expressing his support for the Uri party.

On Mar. 12, a total of 193 legislators agreed to initiate impeachment procedures against Roh. Prime minister Goh Kun took over as interim president. The matter was turned over to the country’s Constitutional Court, where six of the existing nine judges had to rule against the president. The decision does not entail any criminal transgression.

The last legislative election took place in April 2004. Final figures put the Uri Party in control of 152 assembly seats—a slim majority—with the GNP in second place with 121. The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) became South Korea’s third political force with 10 lawmakers in the Assembly, followed by the MDP with nine.

Click here for 2004 South Korea’s Legislative Election Tracker

On May 13, the Constitutional Court overturned the impeachment, effectively reinstating Roh as South Korea’s president. In June, Roh nominated Lee Hai-chan for prime minister. Lee—a member of the Uri Party—officially took over the post on Jun. 30, after winning a 200-84 vote in the National Assembly.

In March 2006, Lee was forced to resign, after his opponents criticized him for playing golf during a railway worker’s strike. He was replaced by Han Duck Soo. In April, Han Myeong-Sook became the first woman to serve as South Korea’s prime minister.

A presidential election took place on Dec. 19, 2007. Roh Moo-hyun was ineligible for a second term. Former Seoul mayor Lee Myung-bak of the Grand National Party (GNP) won the election, with 48.7 per cent of the vote. Lee will be sworn in as president on Feb. 25, 2008.

Click here for South Korea's 2007 Presidential Election Tracker

2008 Legislative Election

On Jan. 16, Lee proposed eliminating the unification ministry, a government agency specially created to reach out to North Korea and improve relations. Lee accused the unit of being too lenient with the Communist regime. His proposal will have to be discussed by Parliament.

On Feb. 5, Lee urged new businesses in South Korea to explore opportunities to combat global warming, saying, "The environment industry has emerged as an important business sector due to climate changes on the world. In the case of the United States, there is a study about 5 million jobs that were created over related businesses."

An early February poll by Research Plus published in The Hankyoreh showed Lee’s GNP leading all other parties with 49.8 per cent of the intended vote ahead of the April vote. The United New Democratic Party (UNDP) was second with 10.7 per cent.

On Feb. 11, the UNDP and the minor Democratic Party (DP) forged an alliance in order to counter the GNP’s potential landslide victory in the April ballot. Both liberal parties had tried to merge before the recent presidential election but the alliance collapsed over misunderstandings on power-sharing. DP spokesperson Yoo Jong-pil declared: "Although minor differences remain, we have decided to make a concession due to the need for a prompt merger." The new coalition could be named the United Democratic Party, but this has not been finalized.

On Feb. 13, Lee vowed to build a closer relationship with the United States and work in tandem to assure the end of North Korea’s nuclear aspirations, saying, "There have been some problems in the faith between Korea and the United States, which must be resolved in order to seek better ties. (…) A stronger Korea-U.S. alliance will help especially in persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons."

Lee was sworn in as president on Feb. 25. On Feb. 29, UNDP member Han Seung-soo took over as prime minister.

On Apr. 7, UDP chairwoman Kang Geum-sil urged voters to back her party, saying, “Please help us in keeping this self-righteous government and the ruling party in check. Your help is crucial for the sake of the nation’s 99 per cent common people.”

GNP leader Kang Jae-sup declared: “We need your support in retrieving the 10 years the country lost under incompetent liberal governments. We will be your party, standing by your side and working solely for your sake.”

A late March poll by Gallup Korea published by Chosun Ilbo suggested that more than two-in-five voters would back the GNP in the legislative ballot.

Voting took place on Apr. 9. Preliminary results suggest that the Grand National Party (GNP) will control 153 seats in the 299-member National Assembly. Kang declared: "People had voted for (...) national unity and revitalizing the economy."

Political Players

President: Lee Myung-bak - GNP
Prime minister: Han Seung-soo - UNDP

The president is elected to a five-year term by popular vote.

Legislative Branch: The Kuk Hoe (National Assembly) has 299 members, elected to four-year terms; 243 members are elected in single-seat constituencies and 56 members are elected by proportional representation.

Results of Last Election:

President - Dec. 19, 2007

	Vote%
Lee Myung-bak - Grand National Party	48.7%
Chung Dong-young - United New Democratic Party	26.1%
Lee Hoi-chang - Independent	15.1%
Moon Kook-hyun - Creative Korea Party	5.8%
Kwon Young-ghil - Democratic Labour Party	3.0%
Rhee In-je - Centrist Reformists Democratic Party	0.7%
Huh Kyung-young - Republican Party	0.4%
Geum Min - Korea Socialist Party	0.1%
Chung Kun-mo - True Owner Coalition	0.1%
Chun Kwan - Chamsaram Society Full True Act	0.0%

National Assembly - Apr. 9, 2008

	Vote% Prop.	Total Seats
Grand National Party (GNP)	37.4%	153
United Democratic Party (UDP)	25.1%	81
Pro-Park Geun-hye coalition	13.1%	14
Liberty Forward Party (LFP)	6.8%	18
Democratic Labour Party (DLP)	5.6%	5
Creative Korea Party (CKP)	3.8%	3
Independents	8.1%	25

 

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