1979年9月韩国决定申办奥运、10月总统朴正熙被刺杀,此后政治局势出现了持续的动荡。在1988年汉城奥运会迫近的1987年6月,韩国爆发了声势浩大的民主运动,开始了民主转型。申办和筹办奥运与政治转型在时间上的重合,使一些舆论把二者直接联系起来。在学界也有类似的观点,认为,“日益强化的世界关注使政府很难严厉地处理 In September 1979, when South Korea decided to bid for the Olympic Games, Pak Chong-hee was assassinated in October, and political instability has been followed by continuous turmoil. In June 1987, when the Seoul Olympics approached in 1988, a massive democratic movement broke out in South Korea and a democratic transition began. The time coincidence between the bid for hosting and organizing the Olympic Games and the political transition has caused some public opinions to directly link the two with each other. There is a similar view in academia, believing that ”the growing world focus makes it hard for the government to handle harshly