Supreme Council for National Reconstruction

Supreme Council for National Reconstruction of the Republic of Korea
대한민국 국가재건최고회의 大韓民國 國家再建最高會議
1961–1963
Flag Emblem
South Korea in Green.
Capital		Seoul
Languages		Korean
Government		Military junta
Chairman
•	1961	Chang Do-yong
•	1961–1963	Park Chung-hee
Legislature		National Assembly suspended
Historical era		Cold War
•	May 16th coup	16 May 1961
•	Establishment of the Third Republic	17 December 1963
Currency		South Korean won
Preceded by Succeeded by Second Republic of South Korea Third Republic of South Korea
Today part of		South Korea

Part of a series on the
History of South Korea
USAMGIK 1945–48 First Republic 1948–60  : Korean War 1950–53  : Syngman Rhee administration 1948–60  : April Revolution 1960  : Heo Jeong Caretaker Government 1960 Second Republic 1960–61  : Jang Myeon Cabinet 1960–61  : May 16 coup 1961 Constitutional Vacuum 1961–63  : Yoon Bo-seon administration 1961–62  : First Junta 1961–63 Third Republic 1963–72  : Park Chung-hee administration 1963–72  : Self-coup of Park Chung-hee 1972 Fourth Republic 1972–81  : Assassination of Park Chung-hee 1979  : Coup d'état of December Twelfth 1979  : Coup d'état of May Seventeenth 1980  : Gwangju Uprising 1980  : Second Junta 1980–81 Fifth Republic 1981–87  : Chun Doo-hwan administration 1981–87  : June Democratic Uprising 1987  : Grand Labor Struggle 1987 Sixth Republic 1987–present  : Roh Tae-woo administration 1987–93  : Kim Young-sam administration 1993–98  : National Moratorium 1997–2001  : Kim Dae-jung administration 1998–2003  : Roh Moo-hyun administration 2003–2008  : Lee Myung-bak administration 2008–2013  : Park Geun-hye administration 2013–present
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The Supreme Council for National Reconstruction, initially named the Military Revolutionary Committee, was a military junta that oversaw the government of South Korea from May 16, 1961 until the inauguration of the Third Republic of South Korea in 1963. It was composed largely of military officers who were involved in or supportive of the May 16 coup which overthrew the Second Republic of South Korea. The council was chaired initially by Chang Do-yong, and subsequently by Park Chung-hee. The president of the Second Republic, Yun Po-sun, stayed in office as a figurehead.

Key events

A military coup led by Major General (later Lieutenant General/General) Park Chung-hee on May 16, 1961 put an effective end to the Second Republic. Park was one of a group of military leaders who had been pushing for the de-politicization of the military. Dissatisfied with the cleanup measures undertaken by the Second Republic, they chose to take matters into their own hands.

The military leaders promised to return the government to a democratic system as soon as possible. On December 2, 1962, a referendum was held on returning to a presidential system of rule, which was allegedly passed with a 78% majority.^[1] Park and the other military leaders pledged not to run for office in the next elections. However, Park ran for president anyway, winning narrowly in the election of 1963.^[1]

Economy

The Supreme Council was the first South Korean government to introduce economic planning. The first South Korean five-year plan was inaugurated in 1962. Although the Second Republic had laid the groundwork for such plans, it had not been able to put them into practice.

See also

• History of South Korea
• History of Korea
• List of Korea-related topics

Notes

1. 1 2 Yonhap (2004, p. 271).

References

• Yonhap News Agency (2004). Korea Annual 2004. Seoul: Author. ISBN 89-7433-070-9.