South Korea’s surprising history of coups and martial law – explained in 30 seconds
South Korea has only been governed democratically since 1988, with a previous history of military-authoritarian rule dating back to the Korean war
South Korea became a democracy only in the late 1980s, and military intervention in civilian affairs remains a touchy subject.
During the dictatorships that emerged as the country rebuilt from the destruction of the 1950-53 Korean war, leaders occasionally proclaimed martial law that allowed them to station combat soldiers, tanks and armoured vehicles on streets or in public places to prevent anti-government demonstrations.
Such scenes are unimaginable for many today.
The dictator Park Chung-hee, who ruled South Korea for nearly 20 years before he was assassinated by his spy chief in 1979, led several thousand troops into Seoul in the early hours of 16 May 1961, in the country’s first successful coup.
During his rule, he occasionally proclaimed martial law to crack down on protests and jail critics.
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