President Park Chung-hee was assassinated, abruptly ending a long period of authoritarian rule. The shock created a power vacuum inside the government and military, and it set off a struggle over who would control the next political transition.
On May 17, 1980, General Chun Doo-hwan forced a decision to expand martial law to the entire country. Universities were closed, political activity was banned, and press controls tightened, cutting off many legal ways for citizens and opposition leaders to organize.
Kim Dae-jung, a leading opposition figure, was arrested as the expanded martial law took effect. His detention became a major symbol of the crackdown and later was used by the authorities to accuse opponents of organizing unrest.
On May 18, 1980, student protests in Gwangju began after universities were closed and political freedoms were restricted. Security forces responded with violence, and the clashes escalated as more civilians joined the demonstrations.
As the days passed, the use of elite troops and harsh tactics increased anger in the city. The violence helped transform the protests from a student-led action into a broader civic uprising involving large numbers of residents.
During the uprising, some protesters broke into police stations and armories to obtain weapons and defend themselves. This marked a turning point: the confrontation was no longer only street demonstrations, but an armed standoff shaped by martial law repression.
In the early hours of May 27, the Martial Law Command carried out a planned operation to reenter and take control of Gwangju. The city’s organized resistance was defeated within hours, ending the uprising but leaving deep national trauma and long-running disputes over the death toll and responsibility.
President Choi Kyu-hah resigned as Chun and his allies consolidated control. The resignation removed a remaining symbol of civilian leadership during the martial law period and cleared the way for an indirect election controlled by the new power structure.
On August 27, 1980, Chun Doo-hwan was selected president through an indirect vote by the National Conference for Unification (an electoral college under the constitution in force at the time). This gave formal legal shape to the military-led takeover that had already been enforced through martial law.
On October 22, 1980, a constitutional amendment was approved in a national referendum held while martial law restrictions limited open political activity. The changes set up the Fifth Republic’s political framework, including a president chosen indirectly with a single seven-year term.
A military tribunal upheld a death sentence for Kim Dae-jung, accusing him of plotting to overthrow the government and tying him to the Gwangju unrest. The case drew international attention and intensified debate about how martial law courts were being used against political opponents.
In November 1980, the Chun government implemented a policy that reorganized and reduced media outlets, tightening control over news and broadcasting. The move reinforced the wider martial law system by limiting critical reporting during a sensitive period of regime-building.
On January 24, 1981, Chun lifted martial law, formally ending the emergency legal regime that had shaped politics since May 1980. The lifting did not end authoritarian control, but it shifted the government from overt military rule toward a more institutionalized Fifth Republic system.
In February 1981, an electoral college was chosen and then voted to reelect Chun for a new seven-year term under the 1980 constitutional framework. This election helped stabilize the Fifth Republic’s institutions even as many key opposition figures remained restricted from full participation.
On March 25, 1981, South Korea held National Assembly elections under the Fifth Republic constitution. The election produced a legislature dominated by the ruling Democratic Justice Party, completing the transition from the May 1980 martial law crackdown to a durable, controlled political order.
Gwangju Uprising and martial law period (May 1980–1981)