history of kuk sool won:
1:10 POST KOREAN WAR KOREA: 1953 – Present Day

In 1987, mass protests and demonstrations against President CHUN's government became so great that he was forced to announce democratic reforms and elections, which included elections for the Presidency. This election was held in December 1987 and was won by ROH TAE WOO who was a member of former President CHUN’s party. In February 1988, the Sixth Republic came into existence.

In the 1992 presidential elections, South Korea elected its first civilian president, KIM YOUNG SAM. During President KIM's term of office, former Presidents CHUN AND ROH were found to be guilty of serious offences relating to the 1979 coup, which brought CHUN to power, and also of amassing millions of dollars in personal fortunes while they were both in power. These revelations were to lead to several other prominent politicians, including the then incumbent President, to admit to receiving money from political slush funds. Although potentially very damaging, President KIM remained in office, however this set the scene for new democratic elections.

In 1997, a financial crisis swept across East Asia. The South Korean economic miracle, wrought out of years of struggle and uncertainty, just like a rainbow, began rapidly fading away. With loans from the international community totalling $57 billion, (the highest on record – the previous record being held by Mexico who borrowed $48 billion in 1994), South Korea once again found itself with its back against the wall. It was against this backdrop that the Presidential elections of December 1997 were played out. The South Korean people’s dissatisfaction with the incumbent government was clearly reflected in the result. For the first time in modern South Korean history, a candidate from the opposition party defeated the ruling parties nominee. This saw KIM DAE JUNG elected to power as President.