Park Chung Hee

Park Chung Hee (1917-1979), president of South Korea (1963-1979). Born in Sŏngmŏri, he was briefly a schoolteacher before he joined (1940) the Japanese army in Manchuria. After World War II he returned to Korea, enrolled in a military academy, and was commissioned a captain (1946); service in the Korean War earned him promotion to brigadier general.

In 1961 Park led the military coup that overthrew Premier John M. Chang. He soon took charge of the government and in 1963 won election to the presidency. He was reelected in 1967 and 1971 (after a constitutional change), but in 1972 he declared martial law and replaced the constitution with a new one, under which he was elected president in 1973 and 1978. During his 18 years in power Park transformed the Korean economy, making the country a major exporter of industrial goods. His regime, however, became increasingly repressive, and he was assassinated in October 1979.