ABSTRACT
How important is the role of the Republic of Korea (ROK) armed forces in South Korean society? The answer is so obvious the question seems rhetorical. Clearly it is very important. This is particularly true of the ROK Army, the institutional base for Seoul’s two armed coups. The governments which emerged from those coups, the Park Chunghee administration (1961-1979) and the Chun Du-hwan administration (1980-present), bear the clear imprint of the armed forces. The judgment regularly reached by both friendly and critical observers of the South Korean scene is that the Republic of Korea is under a military regime. While that opinion is largely true, it is overly facile because it implies the condition is long-standing and permanent. The former is not true and the latter is doubtful. These assertions will be examined in detail here in evaluating this chapter’s main contention: the major role of the armed forces in South Korean society since 1961 is not in harmony with Korean traditions and may well prove to be a temporary phenomenon. 1
