1.2 Situation in the Republic of Korea 1.2.1 Joining the United Nations On 26 October 1979, President Park Chung-hee, who had led the country for 19 years, was assassinated. The incident led to a transformation in the nation’s politics. After a period of political ferment, a democratic government based on the single-term presidency system was established. The end of the Cold War also brought many changes. The Republic of Korea established diplomatic relations with Eastern European countries such as Hungary and Poland in 1989, with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1990, and with China in 1992. Moreover, in 1991, the Republic of Korea, together with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, joined the United Nations (4).
The Government established the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) in 1987 to manage concessional loans of the Republic of Korea’s official development assistance, and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in 1991 to manage official development assistance (5). In 1996, the Republic of Korea became a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Its gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, measured in current US dollars, exceeded US$ 10 000 in 1994 (6).
© UN Photo / Milton Grant
During this period, the economy of the Republic of Korea maintained high growth, mainly driven by the heavychemical industry. The Republic of Korea was gradually transformed from an aid-recipient country to an emerging donor country.
QQ The Republic of Korea joined the United Nations along with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 1990. Officials attend their first flag-raising ceremony at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
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