Korean Politics
Outline
• Republic of Korea
– presidential system
– National Assembly
– judiciary
– parties and elections
– external relations
• Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
– authoritarian party-state
President of ROK
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Directly elected by all voters
5-year term (no 2nd term)
Head of state
Chief executive
Commander-in-chief of the armed forces
– power to declare war
• Office and residence: Cheong Wa Dae
Presidential Power
• Appoint Prime Minister, subject to
approval by the National Assembly
• Propose legislation
• Appoint the Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court, subject to approval by the National
Assembly
National Assembly
• Unicameral legislature with 300 members,
who serve four-year terms
• 246 directly elected from districts
• 54 appointed by political parties
proportional to vote share
• law-making
• approve national budget
• impeach President
Local Government
• Three levels:
– central government
– higher-level local
governments
• 8 municipality governments
• 9 do (province) governments
– lower-level local
governments
• cities, counties, districts
Evolution of Party System
• 1950s: Liberal Party, Progressive Party, ...
• 1961, Park dissolved all political parties,
abolished local elections & local councils
• 1980, General Chun banned political
activities by party members
• 1987, presidential election
• 1988, National Assembly election
Foreign Direct Investment
• The financial crisis of 1997 was a turning
point
• Less than 2,000 foreign-invested
companies in 1997
• 14,000 foreign-invested companies in
2010
• US$11.5 billion inward FDI in 2009
• US$16.3 billion inward FDI in 2012
D.P.R.K.
• Workers’ Party of Korea
– General Secretary of the Central Committee
• Kim Jong-Il (1994 - 2011)
• Kim Jong-Un (2011- )
– Politburo
• Cabinet: premier and ministers
• National Defense Commission
• Supreme People’s Assembly
The Six-Party Talks since 2003