When they went to the polls under martial-law conditions last November, South Koreans dutifully gave 91% approval to a new constitution that awarded President Chung Hee Park sweeping powers and unlimited terms of office in which to use them. But recent elections for the National Assembly provide a different story. Despite curbs on press coverage, legislation banning door-to-door canvassing and the best efforts of the secret police to stir up trouble within the opposition, Park's Democratic Republican Party won only 38% of the vote, while candidates who campaigned against him polled a surprising 42%.
Park suffered a slight loss of face, but...
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