A constitutional referendum was held in South Korea on 21 November 1972.^[1] President Park Chung-hee had suspended the constitution and dissolved the National Assembly in October. Work began almost immediately on a new constitution. The finished product, the Yushin Constitution, was a severely authoritarian document that dramatically expanded the president's powers and allowed him to run for an unlimited number of six-year terms. For all intents and purposes, the document concentrated all governing power in Park's hands.

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1972 South Korean constitutional referendum

21 November 1972
Results
Choice Votes  % Yes 13,186,559 92.26% No 1,106,143 7.74% Valid votes 14,292,702 99.18% Invalid or blank votes 118,012 0.82% Total votes 14,410,714 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 15,676,395 91.93%

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According to official figures, the new document was approved by 92.3% of voters, with a turnout of 91.9%.^[2] The adoption of the constitution upon the announcement of the official referendum results ushered in the Fourth Republic of South Korea.