Syracuse University SURFACE Dissertations - ALL SURFACE June 2017 Presidential Instability in a Developing Country: Reassessing South Korean Politics from a State-Society Relations Perspective Kyung-hwa Kim Syracuse University Follow this and additional works at: https://surface.syr.edu/etd Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Kim, Kyung-hwa, "Presidential Instability in a Developing Country: Reassessing South Korean Politics from a State-Society Relations Perspective" (2017). Dissertations - ALL. 711. https://surface.syr.edu/etd/711 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the SURFACE at SURFACE. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations - ALL by an authorized administrator of SURFACE. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT This study attempts to explain why ALL of South Korean presidents, without exception and notwithstanding their individual major contributions to the process of Korea’s development, have fallen victim to disgraceful downfalls. For the analysis, I employ S.N. Sangmpam’s middle-range theory that establishes a causal link between society-rooted politics and political outcomes. Building on his analytical frameworks that non-Western countries are characterized by over-politicization in politics as a function of social context, I argue that patterned downfalls of all Korean presidents are an institutional outcome of over-politicization in Korean politics, which is itself a function of not fully entrenched capitalist society. In support of my thesis, I test three hypotheses. Hypotheses one and two posit Korea’s tenacious traditional and cultural traits as an internal modifier of capitalism and the nation’s dependent nature of its relationships with the United States and Japan as an external factor that prevented capitalist entrenchment in Korean society. The combined effect of these two variables is the alteration of capitalism in South Korea that defies the three cardinal rules of democracy, leading to over-politicized behaviors in presidential politics. As for the patterned downfalls of the presidents, I test the hypothesis empirically that as the nation’s most supreme political institution, the Korean presidency displayed the effects of over-politicization most saliently. The evidence reveals that both authoritarian (1948-1987) and democratic (1988-2009) presidents display diverse manifestations of over-politicized behaviors. However, there is also a striking difference between the two eras: Authoritarian presidents seem more influenced by the external causal variable mainly because of Korea’s heavy dependence on the United States and Japan in the formative years of the nation building. Democratic presidents are more challenged by internal causal variable, especially the characteristics of what I call familist collectivism, the dominant operating principle and code of conduct for most Koreans in the period of 1948-2009. Thus, unless the social causal variable is properly addressed, the problem may remain regardless of regime types. PRESIDENTIAL INSTABILITY IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY: REASSESSING SOUTH KOREAN POLITICS FROM A STATE-SOCIETY RELATIONS PERSPECTIVE by Kyung-hwa Kim B.A., Korea Open University, 1993 M.A., Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, 2008 M.A. Syracuse University, 2005 Dissertation Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science Syracuse University June 2017 Copyright © Kyung-hwa Kim, 2017 All Rights Reserved ACKNOWLEDGMENT When I began this academic journey in 2003, I did not know that it would take this long. Many things happened both in personal and public realms, good and bad. Most importantly, it was a spiritual journey in the wilderness. At the end of the prolonged and arduous journey, I have learned the truth: man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. I thank Prof. Stuart Thorson and Dr. Jongwoo Han for inviting me and paving the way for our family to come to Syracuse University. Prof. Alex Thevaranjan and his wife, Ranji, offered much appreciated spiritual and material support for my continuation with the dissertation project at a critical juncture. Prof. Glyn Morgan and Prof. George Kallander kindly agreed to serve on the committee, and contributed meaningfully to the work’s completion. I appreciate their sharp critic. The PSC department at Maxwell, especially Candy and Sally, offered such excellent support and help. I genuinely appreciate it. My heartfelt appreciation goes to my advisor, S.N. Sangmpam, for his academic mentoring as well as his unbelievable patience with me over the years. By his own example, he showed me what a serious scholar is like, and how to treat a struggling student and help her not only finish the race but also finish it confidently. I thank Professor Emeritus Ralph Ketcham who passed away right before the defense of this work. He ushered me into the doctoral program, guided me all the way, and provided material and mental support on many occasions. Prof. Ketcham set a high standard for me to follow as a decent human being, as a high-achieving scholar, as a God-fearing man, and as a compassionate teacher. Former Prime Minister Goh Kun commands my utmost respect and appreciation for his support, and exemplary life as a public-spirited administrator and an upright human being. It is an absolute blessing to have these role models in my life so that I can walk in their footsteps toward my own destiny. I am so grateful for the brothers and sisters in Christ for their provision and prayers: elders Park In-gu and Young-ok, Jeff Winn, Mee-sook, Park Hyung-geun and Bang Won-seon, and Prof. Park Hye-gyung at Handong Global University, H.E. Chung Sang-ki, and Kim Jong-soon. Hyun-sook supported and cheered me up from the beginning until the end of this journey, even during her own fight against cancer. Those of my beloved ones that this limited spaced does not allow me to identify, I pray, that God may reward and bless them abundantly for their prayers and support. My family, both biological and in-laws, deserves a particular recognition and appreciation. My father Kim Hae-dong and my mother-in-law Kim Jeong-soon passed away before this work’s completion. They are the ones who loved me the most on respective family lines. I am sure that they would smile on me in heaven. What a blessing to have my mother’s never-ending trust and encouragement and the decade-long prayers and financial provision of Lee Hyung-gu and Jin-sook. Last but not the least, my husband Kim Sang-kyu and my son Chan-woo, thank you. We have survived the fire of trials together, and become stronger in love and unity as a result. It will take the rest of my life to return all the love I have received. Many delicious dishes on the way! As promised, in memory of late Prof. Ralph Ketcham. iv A NOTE ON ROMANIZATION In Romanizing Korean words/proper nouns, this study, in principle, uses a system developed by the National Institute of the Korean Language and formalized by Notification No. 2000-8 of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on July 7, 2000. Under this system,1 Romanization is based on standard Korean pronunciation, and no symbols except Roman letters are used as far as possible. Please note the following: 1. The same surname, 李 in Chinese character, can be spelled in several ways according to the individual’s preference: Lee (as in the case of Lee Myung-bak), Rhee (as in the case of Rhee Syng- man), Yi (as in the case of Yi dynasty). 2. In case of presidents’ names, I follow their spellings as recorded in the South Korean government’s official presidential archives.2 3. For other names including scholars and authors, I used the way South Koreans generally order their names: surname followed by first name (i.e. Rhee Syng-man). 4. Unless preferred spellings are clear, I followed the standard Romanization method. 1 For details on the Korean Romanization system of 2000, refer to www.korean.go.kr/front_eng/roman/roman_01 2 http://english1.president.go.kr/cheong-wa-dae-info/presidentialArchives.php v TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………………………………………1 The Problem: The Paradoxical Reality of South Korea’s Presidential Democracy Research Question: Why have all of South Korean presidents, without exception and notwithstanding their individual major contributions to the process of Korea’s development, fallen victim to disgraceful downfalls?...........................................................................................10 The Thesis: Patterned downfalls of all Korean presidents are an institutional outcome of over-politicization in Korean politics, which is itself a function of not fully entrenched capitalist society. ………11 Study Design and Methodology …………………………………………………………..18 Outline of the Dissertation ………………………………………………………………..20 CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW ……………………………………………………21 1.1. Presidentialism v. Parliamentarism?...........................................................................................21 1.2. Perils of Presidentialism or Perils of Presidents?.....................................................................23 1.3. Limitations on Researching Korean Presidents ……………………………………….25 1.4. Presidential Politics as a Function of Social Context ………………………………….35 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………………..37 CHAPTER TWO: THE KOREAN JOURNEY TO CAPITALISM ……………………………39 2.1 Defining Capitalism …………………………………………………………...….……39 2.2 Capitalist Development in Korea….…………………………………………………....42