Korean History › Two Koreas › Democratization of South Korea
June Democratic Struggle
June 10–29, 1987· Event· Rulers & states
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
Nationwide protests in June 1987 that forced South Korea's military-backed government to accept direct presidential elections.
See it on the Korean History map →What happened
In January 1987 Seoul National University student Park Jong-chul died under police torture; a cover-up was exposed in May. Chun had refused constitutional change in April, and on June 10 his party named Roh Tae-woo as successor. Protests spread to dozens of cities, joined by office workers, the 'necktie brigade.' A Yonsei student, Lee Han-yeol, was fatally struck by a tear-gas canister. On June 29 Roh announced direct elections. Koreans call it 6월 민주항쟁.
Why it matters
It won the 1987 constitution still in force today and opened the way out of military-backed rule without large-scale bloodshed.
How we know
Newspapers and broadcasts, the June 29 Declaration, the October 1987 referendum results, US diplomatic records, and protest archives held by the Korea Democracy Foundation.
Still debated
How close the regime came to sending in troops, and whether the June 29 Declaration was a genuine concession or a calculated tactic, remain debated.
Connections (4)
▸Gwangju Uprising (May 18 Democratic Movement) fueled June Democratic StruggleWell documented
The connection
Gwangju stripped Chun's government of legitimacy. Through the 1980s students and churches spread hidden photos and foreign footage, and 'the truth about Gwangju' became a rallying demand. Anger also turned on the US, seen as having allowed the troop movements. By 1987 its memory hardened protesters and made the regime wary of another massacre.
When and how
1980–1987; university campuses and Catholic churches, the 1985 student occupation of the US Information Service in Seoul.
How we know
Activists' memoirs, protest slogans and leaflets, and historians who trace a direct line from 1980 to 1987.
Debates and open questions
How much Gwangju's memory, compared with economic growth and a rising middle class, drove the 1987 breakthrough.
▸June Democratic Struggle forced concessions from Chun Doo-hwanWell documented
The connection
Chun had chosen his friend Roh Tae-woo to succeed him under the indirect system. After nineteen days of mass protest, Roh's June 29 Declaration accepted direct presidential elections and other demands, and Chun endorsed it. Chun left office in February 1988, the first South Korean president to hand over power peacefully on schedule.
When and how
Seoul and cities nationwide, June 10–29, 1987; Chun, Roh, and the opposition National Movement Headquarters for a Democratic Constitution.
How we know
The declaration's text, Chun's endorsement on July 1, and US records of President Reagan's letter urging restraint.
Debates and open questions
Whether the declaration was Roh's idea or Chun's, as each later claimed, and whether they counted on the opposition splitting, as it did when both Kims ran in December.
▸June Democratic Struggle achieved Democratization of South KoreaWell documented
The connection
The struggle won a new constitution, approved by about 93% in an October 1987 referendum: direct election to a single five-year term, a Constitutional Court and stronger rights. It is still in force. Elections in 1987, 1992 and 1997 followed, the last bringing the first transfer of power to the opposition.
When and how
1987; referendum on October 27, 1987; constitution in force February 25, 1988.
How we know
The constitution's text, election results, and democracy indexes that have rated South Korea a free democracy since the late 1980s.
Debates and open questions
Whether 1987 or 1997 marks the real consolidation, and whether the strong single-term presidency built in 1987 now needs reform.
▸June Democratic Struggle was helped by the looming 1988 Seoul OlympicsMostly agreed
The connection
With the Games fifteen months away and the world's press arriving, a bloody crackdown could have cost Seoul the Olympics and its global image. Many historians think this, along with US pressure, restrained the regime from using the army as it had in Gwangju.
When and how
June 1987, as the IOC and foreign governments watched Seoul; the Games opened in September 1988.
How sure are we?
Officials' memoirs and US documents cite Olympic worries, but direct evidence of how the decision was made is thin.
Debates and open questions
How much weight Olympic concerns had compared with US pressure and the sheer size of the protests.