Fourth Republic of Korea

Republic of Korea
대한민국
大韓民國
1972–1981
Flag of Fourth Republic of Korea
Flag
Coat of arms of Fourth Republic of Korea
Coat of arms
Anthem: 애국가
"Aegukga"
National seal
"국새"

CapitalSeoul
Common languagesKorean
GovernmentUnitary semi-presidential republic under an authoritarian military dictatorship
President 
• 1972–1979
Park Chung Hee
• 1979–1980
Choi Kyu-hah
• 1980–1981
Chun Doo-hwan
Prime Minister 
• 1972–1975
Kim Jong-pil
• 1975–1979
Choi Kyu-hah
• 1979–1980
Shin Hyun-hwak
• 1980–1981
Nam Duck-woo
LegislatureNational Assembly
Historical eraCold War
• Established
21 November 1972
• Disestablished
25 February 1981
CurrencySouth Korean won
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Third Republic of Korea
Fifth Republic of Korea
Today part ofSouth Korea

The Fourth Republic of Korea (Korean제4공화국; RRJe sa Gonghwaguk; lit. "Fourth Republic") was the government of South Korea from November 1972 to February 1981.

The Fourth Republic was founded on the approval of the Yushin Constitution in the 1972 constitutional referendum, codifying the de facto dictatorial powers held by President Park Chung Hee, and succeeding the Third Republic. Park and his Democratic Republican Party ruled under the centralized and authoritarian Yushin System until the assassination of Park on 26 October 1979. The Fourth Republic entered a period of political instability under Park's successor, Choi Kyu-hah, and the escalating martial law declared after Park's death. Choi was unofficially overthrown by Chun Doo-hwan in the coup d'état of December Twelfth in December 1979, and began the armed suppression of the Gwangju Uprising against martial law. Chun launched the coup d'état of May Seventeenth in May 1980, establishing a military dictatorship under the National Council for Reunification and dissolving the National Assembly, and was elected president by the council in the August 1980 presidential election. The Fourth Republic was dissolved on the adoption of a new constitution in March 1981 and replaced with the Fifth Republic of Korea.