Korea in the 1970s: Rapid Growth and the Yusin Era

Rapid growth continued with the opening of the Gyeongbu Expressway and the push for heavy and chemical industries, while the Saemaul (New Village) Movement spread through the countryside. On 17 October 1972 President Park Chung Hee declared the October Yusin, imposing martial law and dissolving the National Assembly, and set up the Yusin system that concentrated power in the presidency. The system, which gave the president sweeping powers including emergency decrees, was shaken by the Bu-Ma Democratic Protests of 1979, and it collapsed when Park was killed in the 26 October incident that year.

Year by year

Korea in 1970

Rapid growth under the government's economic development plans continued, and the opening of the Gyeongbu Expressway and the launch of the Saemaul (New Village) Movement put national and rural development into high gear…

• Apr 8A building of the Wawoo citizens' apartment complex in Mapo, Seoul, collapsed due to shoddy construction, causing many casualties.
• AprPresident Park Chung Hee proposed the Saemaul (New Village) Movement to improve living conditions in rural villages.
• Jul 7The Gyeongbu Expressway linking Seoul and Busan opened along its full length.

Korea in 1971

In the April presidential election, Park Chung Hee defeated Kim Dae-jung to win a third term. Export-led growth continued, but the year was marked by major incidents including the Gwangju Housing Complex uprising, the S…

• Apr 27Park Chung Hee defeated Kim Dae-jung in the 7th presidential election.
• Aug 10Tens of thousands of residents of the Gwangju Housing Complex (now Seongnam), where evicted Seoul slum dwellers had been relocated, rose up demanding basic living provisions.
• Aug 23Members of Unit 684, trained on Silmido island, mutinied and headed for Seoul, where most died in a firefight with security forces.

Korea in 1972

With the July 4 South–North Joint Communiqué, the two Koreas' governments agreed on principles for unification for the first time since the division. In October, however, the October Yusin was proclaimed with martial la…

• Jul 4The two Koreas issued the July 4 Joint Communiqué, setting out independence, peace and national unity as principles for reunification.
• Oct 17President Park Chung Hee carried out the October Yusin, declaring martial law and dissolving the National Assembly.
• Dec 23Park Chung Hee was elected the 8th president through an indirect vote by the National Conference for Unification.

Korea in 1973

The push for heavy and chemical industries gathered pace, and Pohang Iron and Steel completed its first-phase plant, signaling a shift in the country's industrial structure. Politically, the abduction of Kim Dae-jung in…

• Jun 23President Park issued the June 23 Declaration on peaceful unification, signaling openness to both Koreas joining the UN.
• Jul 3Pohang Iron and Steel (now POSCO) completed its first-phase plant and began full operations.
• Aug 8Kim Dae-jung was abducted from a Tokyo hotel by Korean CIA agents and later released in Seoul.

Korea in 1974

As criticism of the Yusin system grew, the government issued a series of emergency decrees, and political cases such as the Mincheonghangnyeon (National Democratic Youth and Student League) affair followed. On August 15…

• Jan 8Emergency Decree No. 1, banning any call to amend the Yusin Constitution, was proclaimed.
• AprSome 180 people linked to the National Democratic Youth and Student League were arrested and indicted under emergency decrees.
• Aug 15Seoul Subway Line 1, linking Seoul Station and Cheongnyangni, opened as the country's first subway.

Korea in 1975

Emergency Decree No. 9 outlawed all criticism of the Yusin Constitution, and defendants in the People's Revolutionary Party Reconstruction Committee case were executed shortly after their Supreme Court ruling. With the…

• Feb 12A national referendum on keeping the Yusin Constitution, also framed as a vote of confidence in the president, was held, and a majority voted in favor, keeping the Yusin system in place.
• Apr 9Eight defendants in the People's Revolutionary Party Reconstruction Committee case were executed the day after the Supreme Court upheld their sentences.
• May 13Emergency Decree No. 9 was proclaimed, banning any criticism of or call to revise the Yusin Constitution.

Korea in 1976

The Panmunjom axe murder incident sharply raised military tensions between the two Koreas. At the Montreal Olympics, wrestler Yang Jung-mo won South Korea's first Olympic gold medal, and the Hyundai Pony, the country's…

• Mar 1Prominent figures issued the March 1 Declaration for Democracy and National Salvation at Myeongdong Cathedral, criticizing the Yusin system.
• JulWrestler Yang Jung-mo won South Korea's first-ever Olympic gold medal at the Montreal Games.
• Aug 18North Korean soldiers killed two U.S. Army officers supervising tree trimming in the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom.

Korea in 1977

High growth continued as exports topped $10 billion, and a value-added tax and workplace medical insurance were introduced. Ko Sang-don became the first Korean to summit Mount Everest, and in November a train explosion…

• Jul 1A value-added tax on goods and services took effect.
• Jul 1Workplace medical insurance began for businesses with 500 or more employees.
• Sep 15Mountaineer Ko Sang-don became the first Korean to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Korea in 1978

Kori Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 began commercial operation, ushering in the nuclear power era, and the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts opened in Seoul. In July, Park Chung Hee was re-elected as the 9th president b…

• AprKori Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 began commercial operation.
• Apr 14The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts opened in Gwanghwamun, Seoul.
• Jul 6Park Chung Hee was elected the 9th president in an indirect vote by the National Conference for Unification.

Korea in 1979

As the second oil shock strained the economy, resistance to the Yusin system spread through the YH Trading incident and the Bu-Ma Democratic Protests. On October 26, President Park Chung Hee was assassinated by KCIA Dir…

• Aug 11Female workers of YH Trading protesting their factory's closure staged a sit-in at the New Democratic Party headquarters and were forcibly removed by police.
• Oct 16The Bu-Ma Democratic Protests, mass demonstrations against the Yusin system, broke out in Busan and Masan.
• Oct 26President Park Chung Hee was shot dead by KCIA Director Kim Jae-gyu (the October 26 incident).

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