Yusin Constitution
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The Yusin Constitution, also spelled Yushin, was the official constitution of the South Korean Fourth Republic, 1972–1979. The term Yusin means "restoration," though what it was intended to restore was not clear.
President Park Chung Hee won the right to run for a third term in 1971 when the National Assembly, dominated by his Democratic Republican Party, amended the 1963 constitution to allow the incumbent president--himself--to run for three terms. He won a narrow victory over opposition candidate Kim Dae-jung.
Shortly after being sworn in, Park declared a state of emergency "based on the dangerous realities of the international situation." In October 1972, he dissolved the National Assembly and suspended the Constitution. Work was then begun on a new constitution, which was approved in December 1972 in a heavily rigged plebiscite.
The Yusin Constitution was marked by the enormous powers granted to the president. He was elected for six years, with no limits on reelection. The people elected delegates to the National Conference for Unification, an electoral college that was charged with electing the president. The requirements for candidacy, however, were so stringent that only one candidate could be on the conference's ballot. Most notably, Park gained the power to appoint a large portion of the National Assembly, effectively guaranteeing a parliamentary majority. In effect, the constitution converted Park's presidency into a legal dictatorship.
The provisions of the Yusin Constitution were greeted with widespread but ineffective protest. Park was elected without opposition in 1972 and 1978. It remained in effect until after Park's death in 1979.
