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Korea, South

Index

Korea, South Main Page
U.S., UN Troops Support South Korea
Instability Follows Truce
North Korea Tests Sunshine Policy
Series of Leaders Encounter Criticism
Tension Flares Between North and South Over Sinking of Sub
Rivalry with Japan Intensifies Under Lee
South Korea Elects First Female President

South Korea Elects First Female President

In December 2012, Park Geun-hye, of the governing Grand National Party, was elected president, becoming the country's first woman to hold the post. She defeated Moon Jae-in, the candidate of the Democratic United Party (DUP). Moon, a former human-rights lawyer, promised to bring change to South Korea and a thaw in relations with North Korea—a resumption of former president Kim Dae Jung's Sunshine Policy, while Park, the daughter of the country's former dictator, ran on a platform of stability. Park also promised to dilute the power of the "chaebol," huge family conglomerates, and close the gaping wealth gap. Despite her father's authoritarianism, he is credited for rebuilding the country's economy after the Korean War.

After two failed attempts in 2009 and 2010, South Korea successfully launched its first satellite into orbit in January 2013—a month after North Korea launched its own satellite. South Korea's satellite will collect and analyze weather data.

President Park's plan to engage North Korea got off to a rocky start. In Feb. 2013, North Korea said it had detonated a nuclear bomb, its third. Another round of UN sanctions followed, as did joint annual military drills by the U.S. and South Korea near the north-south border. Reacting to the sanctions and the exercises, North Korean president Kim Jong-un said he would launch “a pre-emptive nuclear strike” against his country's enemies and said he had voided the 1953 armistice that ended the war between North and South Korea. Kim's threats were mostly dismissed as bluster but were nevertheless the most menacing in years by any leader. He continued his bellicose tone in March and shut down not only Red Cross hotlines between North and South Korea but also military hotlines.

See also Encyclopedia: Korea .
U.S. State Dept. Country Notes: South Korea
National Statistical Office www.nso.go.kr/ .