The First Female President in South Korea: Park Geun-hye’s Leadership and South Korean Democracy

Abstract

When Park Geun-hye was elected South Korea’s first female president in 2012, many expected that South Korea’s democracy would deepen. Contrary to the expectation, however, from the beginning of her administration, there were concerns about democracy retreating due to her leadership style/qualities. Despite her rather “undemocratic” leadership qualities, Park Geun-hye has consistently received 30% or higher job approval ratings until “Choi Soon-sil gate” broke out in October 2016. Thus, in this study, we analyzed what led to her leadership qualities and makes it possible for her to maintain a relatively high level of job approval ratings. We argue that her leadership qualities are the product of her unique personal background and South Korea’s immature democratic institutions. She receives relatively strong support thanks to her father, President Park Chung-hee’s (1961–1979) legacy.