ABSTRACT
This article deals with a South Korean political phenomenon known as the “Park Chung Hee syndrome,” whereby citizens begin to miss a dictator after two decades of democracy. This sentiment is closely linked to the country’s sluggish growth and its gloomy economic outlook in the wake of the Asian financial crisis. Fascinated by the success of Park, who transformed a poverty-stricken country into a dynamic economy, some people are looking for a leader who can perform another economic miracle. Though this does not necessarily signify a rejection of democracy and a nostalgia for authoritarianism, it does demonstrate that South Korean democracy may be vulnerable to populist appeals.
