Since the birth of the republic, South Korea has taken on the character of a wayward ward rather than that of a puppet. Its venerable but wily and irascible first president, Syngman Rhee, was the undoing of many an American adviser and of some important U.S. policies, particularly during the Korean war. While the present President, who first came to power through a military coup in 1961, finally came around—in response to U.S. prodding and the pressure of public opinion—to the restoration of civilian government in 1963, a decade later he similarly demonstrated his independence of U.S. sensitives by an abrupt abandonment of all but the most superficial trapping of democracy. (C)
An equally striking manifestation of Seoul's independent initiative was the opening of secret, high-level talks with North Korea in early 1972 looking toward reunification of the peninsula. Pointing to the "delicacy" of his negotiations with the North, in late 1972 President Pak assumed almost complete dictatorial control by proclaiming martial law and carrying out a sweeping reorganization of the government. Whether or not such steps were necessary, ROK diplomacy since that time has moved more rapidly and flexibly than before. (U/OU)
Despite Seoul's new confidence in its ability to talk to P'yongyang, its moves on the domestic front could over time critically undermine the Pak regime. The great strides made in modernizing not only not only the military machine but also most aspects of material existence, which have encouraged Pak to venture upon reunification talks, may be brought to naught if domestic opinion becomes disaffected with the increasingly autocratic rule which he has imposed. (C)
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