@article{ART003297793},
author={Kim Hyun ju},
title={Political Crisis of the Early Third Republic under the Park Chung-hee Regime and the Reorganization of Power within the Democratic Republican Party},
journal={The Review of Korean History},
issn={1225-133X},
year={2025},
number={160},
pages={269-308}
TY - JOUR
AU - Kim Hyun ju
TI - Political Crisis of the Early Third Republic under the Park Chung-hee Regime and the Reorganization of Power within the Democratic Republican Party
JO - The Review of Korean History
PY - 2025
VL - null
IS - 160
PB - The Historical Society Of Korea
SP - 269
EP - 308
SN - 1225-133X
AB - The Democratic Republican Party (DRP), established as part of the political institutionalization of the May 16 coup forces and their transition toward governance through elections and political parties, faced internal conflict from its inception. A power struggle emerged between Kim Jong-pil’s loyalists, who favored a centralized party bureaucracy, and opposition factions advocating for greater authority for the party’s delegates. Following the 1963 general election, the party’s composition diversified, complicating its internal dynamics.
In 1964, massive protests against the Korea-Japan normalization treaty evolved into anti-government demonstrations, fueled by political corruption and revelations of campus surveillance. This crisis posed the greatest political challenge to the Park Chung Hee regime during its first year. Amid growing calls within the ruling bloc for reorganization, Kim Jong-pil stepped down as party chairman and left for an extended overseas stay. During his absence, hardline elements in the DRP maintained a confrontational stance, opposing more moderate crisis-resolution efforts led by non-mainstream factions. These internal divisions also hindered negotiations with the opposition.
Moreover, 1964 marked a critical turning point in defining the relationship between President Park Chung Hee and the DRP. Despite the party’s efforts to implement genuine party politics through cabinet appointments from within its ranks, Park distanced the executive from the party, resisting DRP involvement in policymaking. Although Kim Jong-pil returned as chairman in late 1965 and party-government meetings were institutionalized, the DRP remained largely excluded from key policy decisions.
The June 3 Martial Law Crisis served as a litmus test for how the Park Chung Hee regime responded to political crises and marked a critical turning point in forecasting the future direction of national governance. The year 1964 signaled the beginning of an era in which unilateral rule based on administrative power took precedence, while political coordination through dialogue, persuasion, and negotiation was increasingly marginalized. This period can be interpreted as a moment when the Park regime, rather than resolving political conflicts and social unrest through institutional procedures or within the framework of party politics, reinforced its tendency to exert direct state control grounded in military force.
KW - Democratic Republican Party;Park Chung Hee;Kim Jong-pil;Korea-Japan Normalization Treaty Protests;June 3 Martial Law
DO -
UR -
ER -
Kim Hyun ju. (2025). Political Crisis of the Early Third Republic under the Park Chung-hee Regime and the Reorganization of Power within the Democratic Republican Party. The Review of Korean History, 160, 269-308.
Kim Hyun ju. 2025, "Political Crisis of the Early Third Republic under the Park Chung-hee Regime and the Reorganization of Power within the Democratic Republican Party", The Review of Korean History, no.160, pp.269-308.
Kim Hyun ju "Political Crisis of the Early Third Republic under the Park Chung-hee Regime and the Reorganization of Power within the Democratic Republican Party" The Review of Korean History 160 pp.269-308 (2025) : 269.
Kim Hyun ju. Political Crisis of the Early Third Republic under the Park Chung-hee Regime and the Reorganization of Power within the Democratic Republican Party. 2025; 160 : 269-308.
Kim Hyun ju. "Political Crisis of the Early Third Republic under the Park Chung-hee Regime and the Reorganization of Power within the Democratic Republican Party" The Review of Korean History no.160(2025) : 269-308.
Kim Hyun ju. Political Crisis of the Early Third Republic under the Park Chung-hee Regime and the Reorganization of Power within the Democratic Republican Party. The Review of Korean History, 160, 269-308.
Kim Hyun ju. Political Crisis of the Early Third Republic under the Park Chung-hee Regime and the Reorganization of Power within the Democratic Republican Party. The Review of Korean History. 2025; 160 269-308.
Kim Hyun ju. Political Crisis of the Early Third Republic under the Park Chung-hee Regime and the Reorganization of Power within the Democratic Republican Party. 2025; 160 : 269-308.
Kim Hyun ju. "Political Crisis of the Early Third Republic under the Park Chung-hee Regime and the Reorganization of Power within the Democratic Republican Party" The Review of Korean History no.160(2025) : 269-308.
