Park Chung-hee (September 30, 1917 – October 26, 1979) was a Republic of Korea Army general and the President of South Korea from 1961 to 1979.
Park seized power in a military-led coup d'état and ruled as an unelected military strongman until his formal election as president in 1963, a post he held for 16 years until his assassination on October 26, 1979.
Park has been credited with the industrialization and rapid economic growth of South Korea through export-oriented industrialization. Despite this, Park remains a controversial figure in South Korean history due to his authoritarian way of ruling the country, particularly after 1971.
In 1999, Park was named by Time magazine as being one of the top ten "Asians of the Century".
Today, Park's legacy is split between those who credit his role in rebuilding war-ravaged South Korea after the devastating Korean War, to those who fervidly condemn his authoritarian policies, particularly those implemented after 1971.
Park Chung-hee was born on September 30, 1917, in Gumi-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do during a time when Korea was under Japanese rule. His father was Park Seong-bin (age 46 at the time) and his mother was Baek Nam-hui (age 45). His eldest brother was Park Dong-hee (age 22); second brother was Park Mu-hee (age 19); eldest sister was Park Gwi-hee (age 15); third brother was Park Sang-hee (age 11); fourth brother was Park Han-saeng (age 7); and his youngest sister was Park Jae-hee (age 5).