Fourth Republic of South Korea - Yushin Constitution

The Fourth Republic was governed under the Yushin Constitution, also spelled Yusin. The term Yushin (hangul: 유신) in Korean means "rejuvenation" or "renewal", but it is also the term used to translate the "restoration" component of the Japanese 明治維新, Meiji-ishin, meaning Meiji Restoration. The significance of this allusion is in the "imperial" role which scholars have seen attached to the presidency under the Yushin Constitution, which established the presidency as a self-perpetuating and highly autocratic position in the South Korean government.

President Park Chung-hee won the right to run for a third term in 1971 when the National Assembly, dominated by his Democratic Republican Party, amended the 1963 constitution to allow the incumbent president — Park himself — to run for three terms. He won a narrow victory over opposition candidate Kim Dae-jung.

Shortly after being sworn in, Park declared a state of emergency "based on the dangerous realities of the international situation". In October 1972, he dissolved the National Assembly and suspended the Constitution. Work was then begun on a new constitution, which was approved in a referendum held on 21 November 1972 by 91.5% of the voters. However, this referendum was heavily rigged, as the state of emergency made it nearly impossible to speak out against the government. The Park regime intimated that voting against the constitution meant exacerbating the tensions between North and South Korea.

The Yushin Constitution was marked by the enormous powers granted to the president. He was elected for six years, with no limits on reelection. The people elected delegates to the National Conference for Unification, an electoral college that was charged with electing the president. The requirements for candidacy, however, were so stringent that only one candidate could be on the conference's ballot. Most notably, Park gained the power to appoint a large portion of the National Assembly, effectively guaranteeing a parliamentary majority. In effect, the constitution converted Park's presidency into a legal dictatorship.

The provisions of the Yushin Constitution were greeted with widespread but ineffective protest. Park was elected without opposition in 1972 and 1978. It remained in effect until after Park's assassination in 1979.