But sure, tell me how South Korea’s greatest periods of growth were definitely under the periods of dictatorship and military junta and not the democratic period that resulted in reaction to that.

Source? I'm finding historic yearly relative GDP growth for South Korea to be more or less stable since the 60s, proving that the policy of the authoritarian period worked and established an industry that allowed the country to grow and continue growing. Even the Wikipedia article on the history of South Korea acknowledges this, in my understanding it's relatively common knowledge:

[context: 1963 and onwards] Top priority was placed on the growth of a self-reliant economy and modernization; "Development First, Unification Later" became the slogan of the times and the economy grew rapidly with vast improvement in industrial structure, especially in the basic and heavy chemical industries. Capital was needed for such development, so the Park regime used the influx of foreign aid from Japan and the United States to provide loans to export businesses, with preferential treatment in obtaining low-interest bank loans and tax benefits.