The June Democratic Struggle (Korean: 6월 민주 항쟁), also known as the June Democracy Movement and the June Uprising, was a nationwide pro-democracy movement in South Korea that generated mass protests from 10 to 29 June 1987. The demonstrations forced the ruling authoritarian government to hold direct presidential elections and institute other democratic reforms, which led to the establishment of the Sixth Republic, the present-day government of the Republic of Korea (South Korea).
On 10 June, the military regime under president Chun Doo-hwan announced the selection of his close friend and ally Roh Tae-woo as the next president. The public designation of Chun's successor was widely seen as a final affront to the long-delayed process of revising the South Korean constitution to allow direct elections of the president. Although pressure on the regime from demonstrations by students and other groups had been mounting for some time, the announcement ultimately sparked massive and effective protests.
Chun and Roh were unwilling to use violence as the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul were approaching. They believed that doing so would draw further criticism, with the regime already under international pressure after the Gwangju Uprising and its massacre a few years earlier. They also thought Roh could win a fair election since the opposition was divided. For these reasons, they accepted the protesters' main demands, allowing direct presidential elections and the introduction of civil liberties. Although Roh was duly elected president in a relatively free election that December with a narrow plurality of just 36 percent of the vote, the consolidation of a liberal democracy in South Korea continued through the 1990s.
Indirect presidential elections
Since the 1972 implementation of the Yushin Constitution by then-president Park Chung-hee, South Korean presidents were elected indirectly by the National Conference for Unification, an electoral college. This system persisted even after Park was assassinated in October 1979, and then replaced as president by Choi Kyu-hah, who was himself replaced within several months by Chun after the Coup d'état of December Twelfth in 1979. Since the college was generally hand picked by the regime itself, it did not represent any sort of democratic check on presidential power.
Seeking to enhance his domestic and international standing by providing a veneer of democratic representation, President Chun held parliamentary elections in 1985. Even though the ruling party lost only two mandates, the result was a major moral victory for the opposition, led by future presidents Kim Dae-jung and Kim Young-sam. The opposition's key demand was reinstating direct presidential elections, and Chun sought to foil this by initiating a campaign of delay, deliberation, and deferment. In response to another wave of public protest in February 1986, Chun agreed to allow parliamentary debate on constitutional change. Although a parliamentary committee debated various proposals for months, on April 13, 1987, Chun suspended even this committee until after the Olympics scheduled to be held around Seoul, citing a need for "national unity" ahead of the Games. This action intensified unrest and broader anti-government sentiment, especially as residents of many areas of Seoul such as Mok-dong were displaced to make way for planned facilities, but Chun continued his program to install Roh as his successor. Meanwhile, anti-government sentiment was growing among the public; a May 1987 survey of the "middle class" published in Hankook Ilbo found that 85.7% of respondents felt that it was "more desirable to protect human rights even at the cost of economic growth".
Throughout this period, the labor movement, university students, and churches in particular formed a mutually supporting alliance that put increasing pressure on the regime. This mobilized a large portion of civil society, in addition to the "official" political opposition, forming the core of the resistance that would become widespread during the decisive events of June.
Student movement and death of Park Jong-chul
In the 1980s, many student activists in universities struggled against Chun Doo-hwan's dictatorship in the aftermath of the remembered May 18, 1980 Gwangju Uprising. Student radicalism had become particularly widespread in the years leading up to 1987, with 469,000 students participating in protests in the year 1985. On May 23, 1985, students occupied the United States Information Service (USIS) cultural center in Seoul, demanding an apology for alleged U.S. complicity in the actions of the South Korean government in Gwangju, as well as an end to support for the Chun government. The affair and subsequent trial led to significant media publicity throughout the country, as well as attempted copycat actions. On May 3, 1986, student demonstrations in Incheon targeted offices of both the ruling Democratic Justice Party as well as the officially-recognized opposition New Korean Democratic Party, amidst tensions over the latter's stance of compromise towards the government, including denunciation of the student movement.
On January 13, 1987, activist Park Jong-chul (1965–1987), the president of the student council in the linguistics department of the Seoul National University, was detained by police. While under interrogation, Park refused to confess the whereabouts of one of his fellow activists. During the interrogation, authorities used waterboarding techniques to torture him, leading to his death through asphyxiation on January 14. On February 7, protest marches held in his memory saw clashes with police across the country. On March 3, the 49th day after Park's death and the time for his reincarnation according to Buddhist tradition, Buddhist groups collaborated with the opposition and allowed the Jogyesa Temple in Seoul to be used as a base for nationwide gatherings.
Information surrounding the events of Park's death was initially suppressed. However, the Catholic Priests Association for Justice (CPAJ), revealed details, including that of a deliberate cover-up by authorities, to the public at a May 18 memorial service for the victims of the Gwangju Uprising, further inflaming public sentiment. On May 23, a meeting of opposition groups was held, during which they announced plans for mass demonstrations on June 10. This coalition took the name of the National Coalition for a Democratic Constitution (NCDC; 민주헌법쟁취국민운동본부; 民主憲法爭取國民運動本部), or Guk-bon.
On June 9, student groups nationwide took to the field and mobilized on campuses across the country, in preparation for the planned mass protests on June 10. At 2 p.m., Yonsei University student Lee Han-yeol was seriously injured when a tear gas grenade penetrated his skull. A widely circulated photograph was captured of him injured and being carried away by a fellow student. In critical condition, he quickly became a symbol of the subsequent protests over the weeks that followed.
He eventually died of his wounds on July 5, after the regime had agreed to the people's demands. Over 1.6 million citizens participated in his national funeral, held on July 9. He was buried at May 18th National Cemetery.
The 1980 South Korean constitution limited the president to a single seven-year term. Although extension to the term via constitutional amendment was possible, this would legally not apply to the sitting president, effectively excluding Chun from serving past 1987. However, the constitution still granted significant power to the presidential office, and political activity faced continued suppression.
Roh Tae-woo's nomination as Chun's successor was scheduled for June 10, the same day as scheduled protests. As the day approached, authorities took measures to clamp down on dissent. Korea University student leader Lee In-young was arrested on June 2. On June 8, the government's Ministries of Internal Affairs and Justice pre-emptively declared the planned protest actions as illegal assemblies, and the Guk-bon as a "subversive organization". Nearly 5,000 dissidents were arrested during overnight raids, and 700 opposition leaders were placed under house arrest. The Democratic Justice Party convention where Roh's nomination as successor president took place opened at 6 p.m. on June 10 at the Jamsil Arena in Seoul. As students reached the nearby Seoul City Hall, police immediately began to attack. Despite police efforts, the National Rally Against the Cover-Up and Torture Death of Park Jong-chul and to Repeal the Constitution (박종철군 고문치사 조작, 은폐 규탄 및 호헌철폐 국민대회) was successfully held in 18 cities across the country. Violent clashes broke out between police and demonstrators throughout the national capital city of Seoul. Many motorists expressed their opposition to the government by honking their vehicle's horns en masse. A soccer match between South Korea and Egypt was cancelled after vast quantities of police tear gas covered the field. A total of 3,831 people were reportedly arrested.