{
  "id": "RL31906",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL31906",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 101596,
      "date": "2003-05-06",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-08T14:46:02.168544",
      "title": "South Korean Politics and Rising \"Anti-Americanism\": Implications for U.S. Policy Toward North Korea",
      "summary": "In December 2002, South Koreans elected Roh Moo-hyun, a little-known, self-educated lawyer,\nas\ntheir president. The left-of-center Roh narrowly defeated the conservative candidate, Lee Hoi\nChang. Roh ran on a platform of reform, pledging to make South Korean politics more transparent\nand accountable, to make the economy more equitable, and to make South Korea a more equal\npartner in its alliance with the United States. During the campaign, Roh pledged to continue his\npredecessor, Kim Dae Jung's, \"sunshine policy\" of engaging North Korea, and harshly criticized the\nBush Administration's approach to Pyongyang.\n  The 2002 election was notable for several inter-related reasons. First, it exposed the deep\ngenerational divide among South Koreans. Roh was favored by voters under the age of 45, who\nemerged during the election as an anti-status quo force. In contrast, Lee easily won the votes of\nthose over 45. Second, Roh's victory was due in part to his criticisms of the United States, and he\nbenefitted from the massive demonstrations in late 2002 protesting the acquittal of two U.S.\nservicemen who were operating a military vehicle when it killed two Korean schoolgirls. Third, the\nelection and the anti-American demonstrations highlighted the growing influence and sophistication\nof Korean civil society groups, which now have a significant voice in determining policy outcomes\nin Seoul. \n  These shifts in the South Korean polity, particularly the rise in anti-Americanism, confront the\nBush Administration with a policy dilemma: how to manage the U.S.-ROK alliance while pursuing\na more confrontational approach toward North Korea than that favored by many, if not most, South\nKoreans. \n  Institutionally, the South Korean presidency has few checks on its power. While the unicameral\nNational Assembly's influence has been slowly rising since South Korea became a democracy in\n1987, it is hampered by formal and informal limitations on its power. The National Assembly is\ncontrolled by the opposition, right-of-center Grand National Party (GNP). The second-largest\ngrouping is President Roh's party, the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP). Both major parties are\nunder significant internal stress, and there is speculation that they will split and be reconstituted\nbefore the next quadrennial legislative election, to be held in April 2004. \n  This report will be updated periodically.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Economic Policy",
    "Foreign Affairs"
  ]
}