Yushin System
The Fourth Republic was created under the new Constitution named Yushin (revitalizing reform). The Constitution was adopted in a national referendum on Nov. 21, 1972. The reform Constitution drafted by the then martial law government of President Park to institute a tougher ruling structure created a novel form of institution called the National Conference for Unification (NCU). It is essentially an electoral college whose main job is to choose the President through non-popular vote.
The NCU is also mandated to act as the supreme deliberative organ of the nation, acting on such important issue as territorial unification. The NCU opened its inaugural session on Dec. 23, 1972 and elected President Park as the 8th President. President Park was sworn in on Dec. 27. On Feb. 27, 1973, voters went to the polls to elect 146 representatives to the 219-seat National Assembly.
It was announced that the ruling Democratic Republican Party won 73 seats while the opposition New Democratic Party gar-nered 52 seats. The splinter Democratic Unification Party, a political grouping formed by dissident members of NDP, won only two seats. The remaining 19 seats went to independents. In accordance with the new Constitution, the NCU elected the rest of 73 seats of the National Assembly on the basis of the ticket handpicked by President Park on March 7, 1973.
Promulgation of Emergency Decrees
President Park Chung-hee proclaimed a series of Presidential Emergency Decrees in 1974, invoking Article 53 of the new Constitution which empowered him to take extraordinary measures in time of national crisis. On Jan. 8, 1974, he issued Presidential Emergency Decree No. 1, banning all activities opposing, distorting or slandering the Yushin Constitution as well as any press reports on those activities.
At the same time, he issued Presidential Emergency Decree No. 2 promulgating the establishment of special courts martial to deal with violators of Decree No 1. The Emergency Decree No. 2 provided for taking into custody all violators of Decree No. 1 without arrest warrants and giving them prison sentences of up to 15 years.
On Jan. 14, 1974, President Park promulgated Presidential Emergency Decree No. 3 for the purpose of stabilizing the people livelihood by drastically cutting or exempting taxes for low-income earners. On April 3, 1974, Presidential Emergency Decree No. 4 was promulgated to outlaw the so-called National Federation of Democratic Youths and Students which Park said was plotting the overthrow of the government through clandestine subversive activities. It also ordered the closure of the schools engaged in anti-state activities.
On April 8, 1975, President Park promulgated Presidential Emergency Decree No. 7 ordering temporary closure of Korea University and banning rallies and demonstrations on its campus. This decree was lifted on May 13. Another Presidential Emergency Decree, this time No. 9, was issued on May 13, 1975 to consolidate the national consensus as well as to strengthen the total security posture in the wake of the Indo-Chinese debacle.
The decree called for imprisonment of no less than one year plus suspension of civil rights for no more than 10 years for any campaign against the existing Constitution, politically motivated student demonstrations, press reports thereof and a number of specified wrongdoings including bribery and land speculations. This decree was in reality a revival of emergency decrees issued in early 1974 and lifted in August of the same year. Later that year some 200 students and other dissidents were jailed by the court martial for their anti-government campaigns.
Assassination of Park Chung-hee
President Park Chung-hee and his 18-year rule came to an abrupt, tragic end on Dec. 26, 1979. Park, his two topmost aids, Cha Ji-chol, the top presidential bodyguard, and KCIA Director Kim Jae-kyu, were meeting in a carousal at a KCIA safe house restaurant to discuss the explosive situation in Pusan. A pall of darkness had descended on what was widely believed to be the securely entrenched regime of Park Chung-hee when a series of serious student demonstrations erupted in Pusan and another port city of Masan on the east coast.