Machtwechsel im Zeichen der Krise. Die 15. Prasidentschaftswahl und die Konsolidierung der Demokratie in Südkorea

Abstract

The 15th presidential election of the Republic of Korea on February 25, 1998, produced a political outcome which seemed a few years ago nearly unthinkable. The victory of an opposition party over the ruling party and the turn over of presidency is one of the most important steps in the democratic development of Korea after forty years of authoritarian rule since its independence in 1948. This paper tries to examine the potential impact of the election resp. the take-over of government by the opposition on further consolidation of South Korean democracy. By this it shows that the alternation of power is a further step on the road of consolidation. But it is not the final solution for the problems of South Korean democracy.