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Pack Chon HiPresident of South Korea
Date of Birth: 30.09.1917
Country:  South Korea |
Content:
Biography of Park Chung-hee
Park Chung-hee was born on September 30, 1917 in Daegu, South Korea. He attended a middle school in Daegu and later taught at a rural school. In 1940, he became a cadet at an officer training school and graduated from a military academy in Japan. After Korea's liberation from Japan in 1945-1946, Park entered the newly established Korean Military Academy. By the end of the Korean War, he held the rank of brigadier general.
Political Career
After receiving training in the United States in 1954, Park commanded several South Korean divisions. In 1961, he assumed the position of deputy commander of the 2nd Army. Following the state coup on May 16, 1961, Park became the first deputy chairman and later the chairman of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction. In 1963, Park retired from the army and ran for the presidency, winning by a narrow margin. He was re-elected in 1967, 1971, 1972, and 1978. A constitutional amendment passed in a referendum in 1969 allowed Park to run for the highest office for the third time. The 1972 Constitution enabled him to be re-elected an unlimited number of times.
Foreign Policy and Challenges
Park aimed to strengthen the alliance with the United States and develop friendly relations with third world countries, the Soviet Union, and China. However, his attempts to improve relations with North Korea were less successful. In 1974 and 1975, Park declared a state of emergency in the country. In 1974, an assassination attempt was made on his life, resulting in the death of his wife. In 1979, widespread unrest erupted in South Korea once again. Park was assassinated in his own office by the head of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency on October 26, 1979.
