Leader of South Korea Park Chung-hee

1 leader of south korea

1.1 foreign policy

1.1.1 vietnam war
1.1.2 north korea


1.2 economic policy
1.3 west germany
1.4 domestic policy

leader of south korea
foreign policy

in june 1965 park signed treaty normalizing relations japan, included payment of reparations , making of soft-loans japan, , led increased trade , investment between south korea , japan. in july 1966 south korea , united states signed status of forces agreement establishing more equal relationship between 2 countries. growing economic strength , security guarantee of united states, threat of conventional invasion north korea seemed increasingly remote. following escalation of vietnam war deployment of ground combat troops in march 1965, south korea sent capital division , 2nd marine brigade south vietnam in september 1965, followed white horse division in september 1966. throughout 1960s, park made speeches in blamed anglo-japanese alliance , british empire japan s takeover of korea.

vietnam war

park (third left) @ 1966 seato convention in philippines.

at request of united states, park sent approximately 320,000 south korean troops fight alongside united states , south vietnam during vietnam war; commitment second of united states. stated reasons maintain relations united states, prevent further advance of communism in east asia , enhance republic s international standing. in january 1965, on day when bill mandating major deployment passed national assembly (with 106 votes , 11 against), park announced time south korea wean passive position of receiving or suffering intervention, , assume proactive role of taking responsibility on major international issues.

although strengthen military alliance united states, there financial incentives south korea s participation in war. south korean military personnel paid united states federal government , salaries remitted directly south korean government. park eager send south korean troops vietnam , vigorously campaigned extend war. in return troop commitments, south korea received tens of billions of dollars in grants, loans, subsidies, technology transfers, , preferential markets, provided johnson , nixon administrations.

north korea


honoring president park chung-hee in army parade @ armed forces day on 1 october 1973.

park oversaw transitional changes between 2 koreas conflict consolidation. beginning in october 1964, north korea increased infiltration of intelligence-gatherers , propagandists south. more 30 south korean soldiers , @ least 10 civilians had been killed in clashes north korean infiltrators october 1966.

in october 1966, park ordered rok army stage retaliatory attack without seeking approval of general charles bonesteel. action, in retaliation ongoing south korean losses, caused tension between park s government , u.s. command in korea, wished avoid violations of armistice.

between 1966 , 1969 clashes escalated park s armed forces involved in firefights along korean dmz. fighting, referred second korean war, related speech given kim il-sung on 5 october 1966 in north korean leader challenged legitimacy of 1953 armistice agreement. kim stated irregular warfare succeed in way conventional warfare not because south korean military involved ever-growing vietnam war. believed park s administration undermined if armed provocation north korea directed against u.s. troops. force united states reconsider worldwide commitments. splits give north opportunity incite insurgency in south against park.

on 21 january 1968, 31-man unit 124 of north korean people s army special forces commandos attempted assassinate park , succeeded. stopped 800 metres blue house police patrol. fire fight broke out , 2 of north koreans killed or captured. in response assassination attempt, park organized unit 684, group intended assassinate kim il-sung. disbanded in 1971.

despite hostility, negotiations conducted between north , south regarding reunification. on 4 july 1972 both countries released joint statement specifying reunification must achieved internally no reliance on external forces or outside interference, process must achieved peacefully without use of military force, , parties must promote national unity united people on differences of ideological , political systems. united states department of state not happy these proposals and, following park s assassination in 1979, quietly buried.

on 15 august 1974, park delivering speech in national theater in seoul @ ceremony celebrate 29th anniversary of ending of colonial rule when man named mun se-gwang fired gun @ park front row. would-be assassin, japanese-born north korean sympathizer, missed park stray bullet struck wife yuk young-soo (who died later day) , others on stage. park continued speech dying wife carried off stage. mun hanged in seoul prison 4 months later. on first anniversary of wife s death, park wrote in diary felt though had lost in world. things became burden , lost courage , will. year has passed since then. , during year have cried alone in secret many times count.

economic policy

park willy brandt in west germany, 1964

one of park s main goals end poverty of south korea, , lift country being third world economy first world economy via etatist methods. using soviet union , 5 year plans model, park launched first 5 year plan in 1962 declaring city of ulsan special industrial development zone . chaebol of hyundai took advantage of ulsan s special status make city home of main factories.

park credited playing pivotal role in development of south korea s tiger economy shifting focus export-oriented industrialisation. when came power in 1961, south korea s per capita income us$72.00. north korea greater economic , military power on peninsula due north s history of heavy industries such power , chemical plants, , large amounts of economic, technical , financial aid received other communist bloc countries such soviet union, east germany , china.

one of park s reforms bring in 24 hour provision of electricity in 1964, major change homes , businesses provided electricity few hours every day. second 5 year plan in 1967, park founded kuro industrial park in southwestern seoul, , created state owned pohang iron , steel company provide cheap steel chaebol, founding first automobile factories , shipyards in south korea. reflecting etatist tendencies, park government rewarded chaebol met targets under 5 year plans loans on easy terms of repayment, tax cuts, easy licensing , subsidies. common late 1960s onward south koreans speak of octopus nature of chaebol began extend tentacles areas of economy. of successful chaebol lucky goldstar (lg) , samsung went japanese period while others hyundai founded shortly after end of japanese rule; go become world-famous companies. hyundai, began transport firm moving supplies u.s. army during korean war, came dominate south korean construction industry in 1960s, , in 1967 opened first car factory, building automobiles under license ford. in 1970, hyundai finished construction of seoul-pusan expressway, become 1 of busiest highways of south korea, , in 1975 produced pony, first car designed entirely own engineers. besides manufacturing automobiles , construction, hyundai moved ship-building, cement, chemicalsand electronics, becoming 1 of world s largest corporations.

a sign of grown of south korean economy in 1969 there 200, 000 television sets in operation in south korea , 1979, there 6 million television sets operating in south korea. in 1969, 6% of south korean families owned television; 1979 4 of every 5 south korean families owned tv. however, television in south korea in black , white, , color television did not come south korea until 1984. reflecting grown of tv ownership, state-owned korean broadcasting system (kbs) began produce more programing while private sector corporation mbc began operating in 1969. during yusin era, television productions subjected strict censorship example, men long hair being banned appearing on tv, soap operas become cultural phenomenon in 1970s, becoming extremely popular.

south korean industry saw remarkable development under park s leadership. government-corporate cooperation on expanding south korean exports helped lead growth of south korean companies today s giant korean conglomerates, chaebols. park created economic development agencies:

economic planning board (epb)
ministry of trade , industry (mti)
ministry of finance (mof)

the economic development of south korea continues @ cost of major sacrifices working class: government not recognize minimum wage or weekly leave, imposes periods of free work benefit , working days of duration of twelve hours. in addition, trade unions , collective labor actions prohibited.

west germany

park s economic policy highlighted south korea s relationship west germany. park had affinity germany due history of having strong leadership of bismarck , hitler, , wanted create ties west germany deal problems of increasing population growth , economic hardships , receive inflow of foreign capital domestic development. upon agreement in 1961, south korea sent labor forces germany, including more 8,000 mine workers , 10,000 nurses, continued until 1977.

domestic policy

among park s first actions upon assuming control of south korea in 1961 pass strict legislation metrifying country , banning use of traditional korean measurements li , pyeong. despite strict wording, law s enforcement spotty considered failure, government abandoning prosecution under terms 1970. in end, south korea s traditional units continued until june 2001.

after taking office second term in 1967, park promised that, in accordance 1963 constitution limited president 2 consecutive terms, step down in 1971. however, after 1967 victory, democratic republican-dominated national assembly pushed through amendment allowing incumbent president —himself— run 3 consecutive terms.

in meantime, park grew anxious of shift in policy towards communism under richard nixon s guam doctrine. entire government depended on anti-communism, , change of policy south korea s allies (including us) threatened basis of rule. park began seek options further cement hold on country. in may 1970, catholic poet kim chiha arrested supposedly violating anti-communist law poem 5 bandits, in fact had no references communism either explicitly or implicitly, instead attacked corruption under park. issue of journal sasanggye published 5 bandits shut down government. 1 of eponymous bandits of 5 bandits described general began career fighting japan in world war two, , of bandits of poem described chinilpa collaborators served japan because of greed , amorality. park recognized reference himself in 5 bandits character of general while fact of bandits have chinilpa background reference social basis of park s regime. in 1974, kim sentenced death poem, , though not executed, spent of 1970s in prison. later in 1970, park launched new village movement set out modernize countryside providing electricity , running water farmers, building paved roads, , replacing thatched roofs tin roofs (the latter said reflect personal obsession on part of park, not stand sight of thatched roofs on farmers homes, him sign of south korea s backwardness).

in 1971, park won close election against rival, kim dae-jung. declared state of emergency shortly after being sworn in based on dangerous realities of international situation . in october 1972, park dissolved legislature , suspended 1963 constitution in self-coup. work began on drafting new constitution. park had drawn inspiration self-coup ferdinand marcos, president of philippines, had orchestrated similar coup few weeks earlier.

the so-called yushin constitution approved in heavily rigged plebiscite in november 1972. meaning rejuvenation or renewal (as restoration in contexts), scholars see term s usage park alluding himself self-perpetuating , highly-autocratic leader (an imperial president ).

the new yushin constitution highly authoritarian document. transferred presidential election process electoral college, national conference unification. dramatically expanded president s powers. notably, given sweeping powers rule decree , suspend constitutional freedoms. presidential term increased 4 6 years, no limits on re-election. intents , purposes, park s presidency legal dictatorship. in elections of 1972 , 1978 re-elected unopposed. many of south korea s leading writers opposed park regime, , many of best remembered poems , novels of 1970s satirized yushin system.

in 1975, park ordered homeless people removed streets of seoul. thousands of people captured police , sent thirty-six camps. detainees used free labor authorities , subjected degrading treatment. many died under torture.

park abolished usage of hanja, or chinese character, , established hangul exclusivity in korean language in 1960s , 1970s. after “five-year hangul exclusivity plan” (한글종양오년계획) accomplished through legislative , executive means, since 1970, using hanja becomes illegal in grades of public school , in military. leads stronger national identity , less illiteracy in south korea.