History
For most of the 20th century South Korean citizens lived under non-democratic rule by the successive authoritarian military regimes of Syngman Rhee, Park Chung-hee, Chun Doo-hwan, and Roh Tae-woo. Civil liberties, most especially the freedoms of speech and association, were significantly curtailed and regime opponents risked torture and imprisonment. In 1967 the KCIA fabricated a spy ring, imprisoning 34 citizens, to solidify the rule Park Chung-hee. After the Gwangju Massacre in 1980, public desire for democracy and greater civil liberties was increasingly expressed; the years just before the 1988 Seoul Olympics saw an increase in pro-democracy activity that forced free elections to be held in 1992, putting long-time human rights activist Kim Young-sam into power.
Read more about this topic: Human Rights In South Korea
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