The pattern began with Syngman Rhee, who became South Korea's founding president in 1948. Once celebrated as a champion of independence, Rhee's authoritarian rule and violent suppression of dissent doomed his legacy. He was forced to step down in 1960 after mass student protests against electoral fraud. He fled to Hawaii, where he died in exile in 1965.
Park Chung-hee seized power in a 1961 military coup and ruled with an iron fist until 1979. Credited with driving South Korea's rapid industrialization, Park's legacy remains deeply divisive due to his authoritarianism and severe human rights abuses. His presidency ended violently when he was assassinated in 1979 by his intelligence chief.
Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, both former generals, took power following a coup in 1979. Chun led from 1980- 1988, while Roh served from 1988- 1993. Their regimes are infamous for suppressing pro-democracy movements, most notably the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, during which hundreds of protesters were killed.
In 1995, both were arrested and convicted of treason and corruption. Chun was sentenced to life imprisonment and Roh to 17 years. They were pardoned in 1997 as part of a national reconciliation effort. Chun died in 2021, followed by Roh later that year.
Roh Moo-hyun, a former human rights lawyer, led the nation from 2003- 2008. He was impeached in 2004 over alleged election law violations. However, the Constitutional Court overturned the impeachment, reinstating him. After leaving office, he faced a corruption probe involving his family. In 2009, Roh died by suicide, leaping from a cliff near his rural home.
Lee Myung-bak, president from 2008- 2013, was convicted in 2018 of embezzlement, bribery and tax evasion. Sentenced to 15 years in prison, the former business executive served nearly five years before receiving a presidential pardon in 2022.
Park Geun-hye, the nation's first female president and daughter of Park Chung-hee, served from 2013 until her impeachment in 2017. She was convicted of bribery and abuse of power in a corruption scandal involving her confidante, Choi Soon-sil, and sentenced to 24 years in prison. Park was pardoned in 2021.
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