Freedoms Restrictions in South Korea
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Calhoun: The NPS Institutional Archive DSpace Repository Theses and Dissertations 1. Thesis and Dissertation Collection, all items 2019-09 NORTH KOREA, THE LEFT, AND THE RIGHT: FREEDOMS RESTRICTIONS IN SOUTH KOREA Park, Grace Y. Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School http://hdl.handle.net/10945/63491 Downloaded from NPS Archive: Calhoun NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS NORTH KOREA, THE LEFT, AND THE RIGHT: FREEDOMS RESTRICTIONS IN SOUTH KOREA by Grace Y. Park September 2019 Thesis Advisor: Robert J. Weiner Second Reader: Cristiana Matei Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited. THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Form Approved OMB REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington, DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED (Leave blank) September 2019 Master’s thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS NORTH KOREA, THE LEFT, AND THE RIGHT: FREEDOMS RESTRICTIONS IN SOUTH KOREA 6. AUTHOR(S) Grace Y. Park 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING Naval Postgraduate School ORGANIZATION REPORT Monterey, CA 93943-5000 NUMBER 9. SPONSORING / MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND 10. SPONSORING / ADDRESS(ES) MONITORING AGENCY N/A REPORT NUMBER 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government. 12a. DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited. A 13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words) How has the existence of North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) reduced freedoms in democratic South Korea (Republic of Korea)? Exploring what effect the North has had on freedoms in the South post-democratization, and the association between the threat from North Korea, whether the left or right is in power, and the degree of freedom restrictions in South Korea, is useful for better understanding the ROK’s domestic and security policies. This thesis explores how the existence of North Korea has reduced freedoms, using South Korean presidential administrations as case studies. During the ROK’s authoritarian period, the regime used the genuine and contrived national security threat of North Korea to justify severe curtailment of freedoms for the purpose of maintaining political power. After democratization, restrictions in freedoms related to North Korea overall are consistently higher under conservative administrations and lower under progressive administrations due to how the legacy of authoritarianism interacts with the genuine North Korean threat and the right versus left. However, freedoms restrictions due to North Korea occur under both conservative and progressive administrations. Conservatives cite the North Korean threat as justification for freedoms curtailment, while progressives restrict freedoms in order to foster an environment conducive to positive engagement with the North. 14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF North Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, South Korea, Republic of Korea, PAGES freedom, civil liberty, political rights, national security, intelligence, intelligence 139 effectiveness, intelligence transparency, intelligence accountability, legacy of 16. PRICE CODE authoritarianism, democratic consolidation 17. SECURITY 18. SECURITY 19. SECURITY 20. LIMITATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF THIS CLASSIFICATION OF ABSTRACT REPORT PAGE ABSTRACT Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified UU NSN 7540-01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89) Prescribed by ANSI Std. 239-18 i THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ii Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited. NORTH KOREA, THE LEFT, AND THE RIGHT: FREEDOMS RESTRICTIONS IN SOUTH KOREA Grace Y. Park Captain, United States Air Force BA, Government and Politics, University of Maryland College Park, 2013 BA, Japanese, University of Maryland College Park, 2013 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN SECURITY STUDIES (FAR EAST, SOUTHEAST ASIA, THE PACIFIC) from the NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL September 2019 Approved by: Robert J. Weiner Advisor Cristiana Matei Second Reader Afshon P. Ostovar Associate Chair for Research Department of National Security Affairs iii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK iv ABSTRACT How has the existence of North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) reduced freedoms in democratic South Korea (Republic of Korea)? Exploring what effect the North has had on freedoms in the South post-democratization, and the association between the threat from North Korea, whether the left or right is in power, and the degree of freedom restrictions in South Korea, is useful for better understanding the ROK’s domestic and security policies. This thesis explores how the existence of North Korea has reduced freedoms, using South Korean presidential administrations as case studies. During the ROK’s authoritarian period, the regime used the genuine and contrived national security threat of North Korea to justify severe curtailment of freedoms for the purpose of maintaining political power. After democratization, restrictions in freedoms related to North Korea overall are consistently higher under conservative administrations and lower under progressive administrations due to how the legacy of authoritarianism interacts with the genuine North Korean threat and the right versus left. However, freedoms restrictions due to North Korea occur under both conservative and progressive administrations. Conservatives cite the North Korean threat as justification for freedoms curtailment, while progressives restrict freedoms in order to foster an environment conducive to positive engagement with the North. v THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK vi TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................1 A. MAJOR RESEARCH QUESTION..........................................................1 B. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH QUESTION ...........................3 C. LITERATURE REVIEW .........................................................................6 1. The Nature of the North Korean Threat: Genuine, Exaggerated, Fabricated ...............................................................6 2. Degree of Restriction of Freedoms .............................................10 3. Intelligence Reform in New Democracies ..................................12 D. POTENTIAL EXPLANATIONS AND HYPOTHESES .....................15 E. RESEARCH DESIGN .............................................................................17 F. THESIS OVERVIEW .............................................................................18 II. THE AUTHORITARIAN PERIOD ...................................................................21 A. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................21 B. GENUINE EXISTENTIAL CONCERNS .............................................21 C. FALSE NARRATIVE: OVERVIEW ....................................................25 III. CONSERVATIVE ADMINISTRATIONS IN DEMOCRATIC SOUTH KOREA .................................................................................................................37 A. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................37 B. ROH TAE-WOO ADMINISTRATION (FEBRUARY 1988– FEBRUARY 1993) ...................................................................................37 C. THE “NEW RIGHT”: CONSERVATIVE ADMINISTRATIONS FOLLOWING THE DECADE OF PROGRESSIVE RULE ...........................................................................44 1. Lee Myung-Bak Administration (February 2008– February 2013) .............................................................................47 2. Park Geun-hye Administration (February 2013–March 2017) ..............................................................................................64 IV. AMALGAM: KIM YOUNG-SAM ADMINISTRATION (FEBRUARY 1993–FEBRUARY 1998) .....................................................................................77 V. PROGRESSIVE ADMINISTRATIONS IN DEMOCRATIC SOUTH KOREA .................................................................................................................85 A. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................85 B. KIM DAE-JUNG ADMINISTRATION (FEBRUARY 1998– FEBRUARY 2003) ...................................................................................86 vii C. ROH MOO-HYUN ADMINISTRATION (FEBRUARY 2003– FEBRUARY 2008) ...................................................................................89 D. MOON JAE-IN ADMINISTRATION (MAY 2017–PRESENT) ........93 E. CONCLUSION ......................................................................................101