On the Transformation and Some Features of Presidential Political Leadership in the Republic of Korea in 1948-2021

The scientific article examines transformation and some specific features of South Korean presidential political leadership in 1948-2021. The article is based on the English and Korean language literature of scientists and experts in the fields of political science and history, as well as on the author’s interviews with experts in these fields. A choice of American scientists’ literature on political leadership is conditioned by the fact that historically leader-oriented research and analysis have originated and proven extremely popular in the United States, which became a stronghold of research in this field. To begin with, the author dwells on the concept of “leadership” per se and explains the interest to the concept of “political leadership” in political and historical sciences. After that, a brief overview of classic leadership theories is provided to demonstrate a distinct difference between Western and Eastern approaches to analyzing political leadership. To this end, the Republic of Korea (ROK) represents a brilliant example of an Eastern country that has achieved tremendous progress in political, economic and social spheres over a period of one generation, including due to its political leadership. When analyzing what has driven the progress in South Korea to such an extent, the author emphasizes that presidential political leadership played one of the major roles in the nation building process. To elaborate on this, the author examines historical and cultural premises that have formed South Korean political leadership we know today. Among historical preconditions, the author puts stress on a long period of dependency on foreign states throughout the history of the united Korea, along with country division on South and North Koreas in 1948 followed by the devastating Korean War of 1950-1953. All those events had culminated in strengthening of South Korean nationalism and an aspiration to have a strong leader who could restore security and prosperity of the country. Thus, South Korean political leadership experienced harsh conditions at the very beginning of nation building, which is why a leader with military background was seen as the only one capable of securing an order and establishing a solid base for economic development. With regard to cultural preconditions, it is no exaggeration to say that Confucian legacy has played the key role as a cultural premise that rested against such virtues as subordination, personal and political order, moral duty and interpersonal relations. In addition, the author underlines an important role of an unofficial network of personal connections of a political leader. It usually represents ties between a political leader and his/her university, region, organization, etc. which provide him/her with strong support. Besides, the author sheds light on some current trends in presidential political leadership in South Korea. The author attempts to generalize about contribution of each of the ROK presidents to national building and development and analyze what type of presidential political leadership South Korea is more close to. The author concludes by providing a short summary on how the presidential political leadership in South Korea has transformed during 1948-2021 and how it might change in upcoming future. The author believes that a key dimension in understanding the current political dynamics in South Korea lies in a shift from the absolute power and personal influence of South Korean presidents in all spheres during 1948-1988 to a more restrained by political system role of the president after 1988, with his/her established political leadership. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

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