South Korea WI: Syngman Rhee dies during his last term?

Vinization

The first president of South Korea, Syngman Rhee was a ruthless and corrupt far-right dictator whose regime was responsible for the imprisonment and death of tens, if not hundreds of thousands of political dissidents. He was also a very old man, being 84 years old by the time he was finally ousted in April 1960.

So what if Rhee's health suddenly took a turn for the worse during his last term as president (1956-1960) and he croaked? Would he be succeeded by vice president Chang Myon, a former ally of his who was alienated by his authoritarianism, and was actually elected to the office in question against Rhee's wishes? Would the dictatorship he set up fall apart without its leader, or could one of his allies oust Chang and become the new head honcho?

Assuming Chang Myon takes the presidency, what can he do to improve South Korea's situation ITTL, given he took power as prime minister after Rhee's overthrow but was himself ousted by a military coup less than a year later? If he takes power before the 1958 legislative election, can the Democratic Party win a majority in the House of Representatives?
 
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Vinization

So from what I've read South Korea was very much in the toilet by the time Chang Myon took power as prime minister IOTL. Would he be in a better position to try and fix things if he gets the top job earlier, without the upheaval of the April Revolution?

What could he do to dismantle the repressive apparatus Rhee set up without the people there overthrowing him?
 

Vinization

Calling @David T since he wrote a WI about South Korea years ago.

Could the Miracle on the Han River happen under a democratic context, and would the Democratic Party be as factionalized as it was during the Second Republic? One big difference from OTL is that Chang Myon would rule with an unicameral legislature, rather than a bicameral one. Could this make it easier for him to get any major initiatives or projects done?
 

Vinization

South Korea was dictatorship for pretty much the entirety of the Cold War, so is there any way a democratic one could affect it? For example, would send fewer troops to Vietnam than it did IOTL? What about relations with the North and the rest of the East Bloc, as well as China?
 
Time Enough

Time Enough

Vinization said:
Hey @Time Enough, what do you think of this WI? Would Chang Myon be in a better spot to enact meaningful change than he was during the Second Republic?
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Probably less so, given how the system would be Liberal dominated. Amusingly I heard that the May 16 coup plotters were initially planning to coup Rhee but decided against due to the April Revolution.

So you could see a scenario where Myon is overthrown by the Liberal establishment, only for the Liberals to be overthrown by Chung-Hee (only a potentially on a more radical program than otl, original plans included vast nationalisations of industry, which the Americans put a stop too).
 
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