---
node: park_chung_hee
type: person
slug: park_chung_hee
title: "Park Chung-hee"
lead: "Park Chung-hee (1917–1979) was the army general who ruled South Korea for eighteen years and drove its export-led industrialization. He was assassinated by his own intelligence chief in 1979."
published: 2026-07-09
updated: 2026-07-09
---


## Who they were

An army general who ruled South Korea for eighteen years. He took power in the coup of May 16, 1961, and served as president from 1963.

## What they did

His governments drove the export-led industrialization behind the "Miracle on the Han River" — five-year plans, the partnership with the chaebol conglomerates, POSCO steel, and the Gyeongbu Expressway — and normalized relations with Japan through the 1965 treaty, which was deeply controversial at home. His rule grew steadily more authoritarian: the 1972 Yushin constitution gave him near-absolute power, and dissent was suppressed. He was assassinated by his own intelligence chief on October 26, 1979.

## Legacy

He is South Korea's most contested modern figure: many credit him with the economic transformation, while many condemn him as a dictator. The assessment of his era still divides Korean society.