Original Peculiarities of Constitution and Democracy in South Korea

This papcr aims 10 analyze some of the peculiarities of early consti tutionalism and ∞nstitutional politics in South Korea. It also fes 00 the relationship between εonstitutiona l ism and dcmocratic development in the cQuntry. The founding Constitution in 1948 was uniquc in thal it inlrodud two d istinctîve features a rn ixed govemment (ie a scial blend of the presidential and parliamentary systems) 00 the one hand, and a social-market economy (i.e another special blend of a capital‘ I market economy and a ist planned economy) on the 이her. The laltcr proved t。 a grcat es“.vhile the former was morc of a failurc. ßased 00 this unique Constitution‘ South Korea’s land re forms and the ensuing rapid cconomic development dazed the world with ils epoch-making COnomic mirncc ; howcvcr, thc mixcd govcmmcnt was shortly transfonned into a plebiscitarian mode of rule rather than represen. ‘ative democracy, and this subsequently laid the foundation for authoritarian rulc in South Korca. This deve10pment sι씬llS to confirm a general trend; plebiscitarianism frequently has an elective affinity with authoritarianism. Under plebiscitarian democracy, as a result of the direct relationship between the state and civil society, intermediate levels (e.g. political parties) are weakened. 10 this way, il can be S3id that direct state-society relations pave the way for the emergence of conditions conducive 10 the development of both a sng state and a contentious civil socîety, 001 10 mention conducive 10 the eπsuing head-cn collision 0‘ these two elements