No Park Chung Hee as South Korean president

[ghappy1000]

Park Chung Hee was the 4th [including an acting] president of South Korea and was known for his dictatorial policies and political oppression, although he developed the country by improving its economy and implemented the Yushin policy.
Wht if he never became president? For one thing, his daughter wouldn't be president of South Korea today.
Pod could be in the Second World War, the late 1940s or Korean War. He actually served in the Imperial Japanese Army, even as a lieutenant. Perhaps he gets killed in action or captured by the Soviets in WW2 in Manchuria or Korea.
Also,this be adequate to do the trick. Perhaps for several reason, the purge on Koreans who collaborated with the Japanese or served in their forces becomes greater in the 1940s or 50s and Park is disqualified for military, let alone government service. Is this possible? [For me, yes if they knew his service with the Japanese and Manchukuo Armies.]

 

[zeppelinair]

Park Chung Hee was the 4th [including an acting] president of South Korea
.....
[For me, yes if they knew his service with the Japanese and Manchukuo Armies.]

Allow me to first introduce to you what happened OTL in the post-WWII Korea...
The Provisional Government had been, by this time, biding for several months to plan an "attack" where they would go deep behind front lines and instigate a rebellion within Korea. When they heard Japan had surrendered, the Koreans knew this was all over.

Three things happened during this time. First, the Koreans were caught between various power blocs and ideologies, fracturing the political arena and bringing forth what we now know as the Korean War. Second, both the Soviets and Americans did not and were unwilling to understand the Koreans; no serious study was done by the Americans, for one, on Korea or its people. Third, situations forced it so that sanitary and food situations on both sides of the 38th parallel were heinous; the Allied forces had barely prepared or the welfare of the people they were to govern.

So what happens? Lyuh, in his rush on making an agreement, forgets to put a clause stating when a Korean government would replace the Japanese one. So a loophole was made and abused by the Japanese- they argued that they will surrender control to the "Allied forces", namely the USSR and USA. They were not going to surrender to Koreans. Different factions began to emerge when they did arrive; between those left and right, between those who left and stayed behind, between moderates and radicals; Korea as a political arena was absolutely catastrophic south of the border, and everyone was assassinating everyone else.

What else happens? The US and Soviet Union were so unprepared and ignorant that they viewed Korea as another Japan. You probably heard of how two minor soldiers were the prime reason for how the 38th parallel was chosen to be the dividing line between Soviets and Americans; well, other things they did were just as bad. Thinking Korea as a Philippines and ignoring(or unaware of) the continuous independence movement that was going on, the US thought Korea should have a trusteeship for at least 30 years.

And this happened. Because of the simply atrocious quality the Koreans were thrown into post-war(the US simply being prepared to "liberate", not save the population, along with prevalent corruption), there were many major riots across the nation. Especially, the Autumn Rebellion of 1946 saw nationwide unrest. With the Americans only being intent on securing their military in South Korea, and with southern Korea being the historical base for Socialists and Communists, anti-left massacres and other atrocities were inevitable.

The local independence leaders were simply ignored and both sides of the Allied forces brought individuals whom they thought they could trust. Kim Il-sung and Rhee Syng-man...what interesting choices. What bad choices too, since both of them were not very loyal to their superiors. They were, as a matter of fact, very rogue leaders- Rhee Syng-man, also chosen as first President of the Provisional Government, was ousted due to abuse of his powers and fracturing the weak alliance different political groups had. Kim Il-sung would also prove same, when he purged any major political players, even those that were close to him, by the early 60s.

For our convenience, let's look at the situation of Rhee. When he arrived with the Americans on Kimpo Airport, there were only two things going for him: the full support of the American government, and his ultranationalistic views. But there were so many things that were against him- a strong domestic political arena, the lack of support from anyone within Korea. So he went for the most base, most vile option: he, with support and encouragement from the United States, brought many Japanese collaborators back to power. Since he didn't have a power base, and all others were taken, he was forced to make one.

In this situation came Park Chung-hee. Once a Kwantung Army officer and now just a Japanese collaborator, he used this chance to rise back to glory in the Army. Leaving more details aside, Rhee's choice to use Japanese collaborators instead of purging them, along with full American support behind this decision, brought "convicts" like Park back into the political and military scene.

How to stop Park? Well, what use is there? Every other option other than Park as president- Paik Seon-yop, etc. were just as aggressive, anti-democratic and driven as Park ever was. They were men who saw the glory of Japan, its quick industrialisation and sole aggression as an Asian nation against the West-dominated world, and the rise of Communism. And they were soldiers. There is no chance in the world, with any POD, that Park or people like Park were not going to rise to power. Everyone knew what was going on- Japanese collaborators rising back to power- but what can they do? The Americans were supporting it, and they needed the US support against the Communists.

And if we were, for instance, to have someone like Jang Myon become president- the military, the strongest institution in South Korea, would be against it. Filled with ex-Japanese soldiers, they were virulently anti-Communist and did not see moderates as fit to rule a country; it would be coup after coup, similar to what happened in Thailand.
And is there any use in that? I think not.

 

[David T]

I once had a soc.history.what-if post on Yun Bo-seon defeating Park im the closely contested 1963 election. https://groups.google.com/d/msg/soc.history.what-if/X1Aa1Py3GIg/OkhEe_rLT8oJ I wrote:

"Would this have saved South Korea from Park's increasingly authoritarian rule,
and if so, would it have been at the expense of the economic development
Park brought? The problem is that Yun was only a figurehead in 1960-62, so
we don't really know how he would govern under a presidential constitution.
(Although the very fact that he acquiesced so readily in Park's coup and
stayed on as figurehead president for a while does not give the impression
of an especially strong personality...) My suspicion, however, is that his
newly cobbled together Civil Rule Party, even if it won a majority of seats
in parliament, would no more stay united than the Democratic Party had been
during its brief taste of power in 1960-61, and that intra-party squabbles
and government inefficiency would provide the excuse for another military
coup."

 

[LeX]

based on what zeppelinair wrote, I'd say the only way to get rid of a Park-like figure is to get rid of Rhee Syng-man's US-created power structure. The Americans would have to recognize the viability of local politicians in the immediate postwar at latest.

 

[Octosteel]

based on what zeppelinair wrote, I'd say the only way to get rid of a Park-like figure is to get rid of Rhee Syng-man's US-created power structure. The Americans would have to recognize the viability of local politicians in the immediate postwar at latest.

So maybe if the Koreans had declared independence before Japanese surrender, allowing there to be only one state and not have to deal with occupation like Yugoslavia did? Who would be the most likely ruler then if neither the Russians or the Americans were involved in the establishment of the state?

 

[LeX]

So maybe if the Koreans had declared independence before Japanese surrender, allowing there to be only one state and not have to deal with occupation like Yugoslavia did? Who would be the most likely ruler then if neither the Russians or the Americans were involved in the establishment of the state?

That would be an entirely different story. I think the OP simply wanted a South Korea with no Park Chung-hee, not a unified Korea. So the best way to do this would be to have some American foreign affairs analysts do the modicum of intelligence work on the Korean situation, early enough to know not to use Rhee Syng-man, but late enough that the Soviets have already secured their half of Korea.

 

[Son of Leman Russ]

without South Korean economic miracle under Park Chung Hee, we can look forward to two poor, mutually hostile, and overall shitty Koreas that was little better than each others. While North Koreans will be embarassment of China, the South Koreans will be embarassment of USA.

Eventually paving up some sort of deal (hey, theyre both tyrannical dictatorship with shitty economics!" and in a way, North Koreans just get less belligerent and mad because their southern neighbours just getting as nuttier as them.

Leading up to 2000s and both koreans are seen as comedians of the world, trying to one upping each others in the ridiculousity departments.

 

[Flocculencio]

without South Korean economic miracle under Park Chung Hee, we can look forward to two poor, mutually hostile, and overall shitty Koreas that was little better than each others. While North Koreans will be embarassment of China, the South Koreans will be embarassment of USA.

Eventually paving up some sort of deal (hey, theyre both tyrannical dictatorship with shitty economics!" and in a way, North Koreans just get less belligerent and mad because their southern neighbours just getting as nuttier as them.

Leading up to 2000s and both koreans are seen as comedians of the world, trying to one upping each others in the ridiculousity departments.

You're assuming that no one else could move towards economic reform and development.

 

[zeppelinair]

You're assuming that no one else could move towards economic reform and development.

I'm going to play the devil's advocate for once and explain why it was important OTL that Park was the dictator for 20 years of economic infancy South Korea had. For something that monumental to succeed, the leader needs both a good plan and the leadership to make everyone follow him. Park was no extroverted propagandist like Kim Il-sung, but he was a teacher who knew how to explain things- it was Park, remember, who gave an hours-long presentation on the situation of Korea to Jimmy Carter when he arrived to Seoul. He believed in the Manchukuo model and developed it from there. It's so obvious why Korea's problems exist- low wage problems for workers, resource dependency, etc(in Manchukuo the labour force was mostly indentured Chinese and Korean workers, thus almost no wage; Manchukuo was, unlike Korea, blessed with various natural resources). And during those 20 years he implemented what he thought was the right model with great vigour, expertise and leadership.

Also, his leadership was unsurpassed by others- some were too belligerent, some were too meek. Take Kim Dae-jung, for one- he became president almost 3 decades after jumping into the political arena. If he was elected president in the early 1970s, for one, the country would implode- the conservative elements would openly and brutally clash with the new leadership and the whole country would go down in chaos(along with Kim having a very radical leftist ideology for most of South Koreans). Park was the right man, and he would have been the right man OTL or TTL.

Taking that into account, it was perhaps a good thing Park came to power and not someone else, leading to more coups and revolts.

 

[Son of Leman Russ]

I would like to see a TL where the North Koreans are not only the mad Koreans, the South should get their own corrupt and hillariously insane family dynasty ruling them as well, leading them to re-unite in the most classical way possible! Kim Jong Un fall in love and marry the South Korean dictator's daughter. A good romance with good end for everyone (except poor Korean peasants who get crushed in between while abused by their overlords)

 

[zeppelinair]

I would like to see a TL where the North Koreans are not only the mad Koreans, the South should get their own corrupt and hillariously insane family dynasty ruling them as well, leading them to re-unite in the most classical way possible! Kim Jong Un fall in love and marry the South Korean dictator's daughter. A good romance with good end for everyone (except poor Korean peasants who get crushed in between while abused by their overlords)

I'm sorry, I don't think I would. D: