On August 15, 1974, a botched assassination attempt by North Korean agent Mun Se-gwang claimed his wife, Yuk Yeong-su, instead. After this attack he finished the speech he had been giving. His wife died later that day.
On October 26, 1979, Pak was gunned down by Kim Jae-kyu, the director of the KCIA. Kim claimed that Pak was an obstacle to democracy and that his act was one of patriotism. After Kim shot the president to death and the leader of his guards, his agents quickly killed four more of the presidential bodyguards before the group was apprehended. The entire episode is usually either considered a spontaneous act of passion by an individual and that the actions of the other agents only occurred because the men felt loyalty to Kim and naturally followed his lead, or as part of a pre-arranged attempted coup by the intelligence service, , with the latter being more widely believed.
It is alleged by supporters that despite his dictatorial rule and the high growth that occurred during his years in power, Pak did not engage in corruption and led a simple life. Detractors allege he was simply a brutal dictator and only brought about high growth through military control over labour.
Being a complex man as a policy maker, many Koreans continue to hold Pak in high regard in great part due to the industrial and economic growth experienced by South Korea under his presidency. But there are also many who condemn Pak for the brutality of his dictatorship and for his service to the Japanese army during World War II. Today, Pak's critics deplore the widespread human rights abuses in South Korea during his rule. However, his supporters argue that the human rights abuse accusation is mostly fabricated or exaggerated. One example of his many abuses was the kidnapping of opposition activist Kim Tae Jung. Around noon of August 8, 1973, Kim was attended a meeting with the leader of the Democratic Unification Party held in the Room 2212 of the Hotel Grand Palace in Tokyo. At around 13:19, Kim was abducted by a group of unidentified agents as he walked out of the room after the meeting. He was then taken into the empty Room 2210 where he was drugged and became unconscious. Later Kim was moved to Osaka and later to Seoul, South Korea. Kim was later quoted as saying that a weight had been attached to his feet aboard the boat heading toward Korea, indicating that the kidnappers had intended to drown Kim by throwing him into the sea. They were, however, forced to abandon this plan as the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force began a pursuit of the kidnappers' boat. Subsequently Kim was released in Busan. He was found alive at his house in Seoul five days after the kidnapping. According to some reports U.S. Ambassador Philip Habib intervened with the South Korean government to save Kim's life.
Pak's daughter Park Geun-hye was elected the chairwoman of the conservative Grand National Party in 2004. She has resigned her post in order to prepare a presidential bid for the upcoming election.
Park Chung-hee was married three times. first wife Kim Ho-nam (김호남; 1918 - 1990, m.1936 - 1945), birth one daughter, Park Jae-ok(박재옥, b.1937). second wife Lee Hyon-lan (이현란; ? -?, m.1945 - 1947), birth one son, early death(b.1947 and d.1947). three wife Yuk Young-soo(육영수, 1926 - 1974, m.1950 - 1974, her death), birth daughter Park Geun-hye(박근혜, b.1952) and Park Geun-ryoung(박근령, b.1954), son Park Chi-man(박지만, b.1958).
Yun Poson
Yun Bo-seon (Korea:윤보선, August 26, 1897 – July 18, 1990) was the President of South Korea from 1960 to 1962. nickname was Haewi(해위). newphew of Yun Chi-ho.
He was born in Asan, South Chungcheong province, Yun graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1930. He entered politics after Japanese occupation ended in 1945, with Syngman Rhee being his mentor. In 1948, Yun was made mayor of Seoul by Rhee. A year later, he was made the Minister of Commerce and Industry. Soon, he started to disagree with Rhee's authoritarian policies. He then served as president of the Red Cross Society, before being elected to the National Assembly in 1954. A year later, he founded the opposition Democratic Party along with several others.
After Rhee's government was ousted by a student-led pro-democracy uprising, Yun was elected president on August 13, 1960. He was merely a figurehead, as South Korea had switched to a parliamentary system in response to the authoritarian excesses of Rhee's regime. After Park Chung Hee's coup in 1961, he stayed on briefly to provide legitimacy to the regime, but resigned on March 22, 1962. He opposed Park's authoritarian rule and ran for president twice in 1963 and 1967, losing each time. After receiving suspended sentences several times for anti-government activities, Yun retired from politics in 1980 and focused primarily on cultural activities until his death from diabetes and high blood pressure. He died in 1990.
Rhee Syng-man
Syngman Rhee or Lee Seungman (, March 26, 1875 – July 19, 1965) was a Korean independence activist and politician. He was the first president of South Korea. His presidency, from August 1948 to April 1960, remains controversial, affected by Cold War tensions on the Korean peninsula and elsewhere. Rhee was a strong anti-Communist, and led South Korea through the Korean War. His presidency ended in resignation following popular protests against a disputed election. He died in exile in Hawaii.
Rhee was born in Whanghai Province to Rhee Kyong-sun, a member of the aristocratic Yangban family. Rhee was descended from Prince Hyo-nyong, the second son of King Taejong of Joseon. He soon became active in Korea's struggle against Japanese control. He was arrested in 1897 for demonstrating against the monarchy.
After he was released in 1904 he went to the United States. He obtained several degrees, including a Ph.D. from Princeton University. He began writing his name in the Western manner, with the personal name before the family name. When President Theodore Roosevelt was helping negotiations for the Treaty of Portsmouth, Rhee asked him to put freedom for Korea in the treaty. This did not happen.
In 1910, he went back to Korea under Japanese rule. His political actions got him into trouble with the Japanese army, so he left for China in 1912. In 1919, all of the major pro-independence groups formed the provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai. Rhee was elected the president, a post he held until 1925 when he was removed by the Provisional Assembly for the misuse of his authority.
At the end of World War 2, Rhee returned to Seoul. This was before the other independence leaders, since he was the only one well known to the Allies. In 1945, he was chosen as head of a provisional (short term) government. With the unspoken agreement of the occupation authorities, Rhee conducted a number of actions to "remove Communism". This was actually a hidden plan to remove all possible opposition to him.
Rhee was elected the first president of South Korea on 10 May, 1948 by a parliamentary vote. He defeated Kim Koo, the last president of the Provisional Government by 180 votes to 16. All the left-wing parties refused to take part in the election. On 15 August 1948, he formally took over from the US military and became the legal power over the Korean people.
As president, Rhee took on dictatorial powers even before the Korean War started in 1950. He allowed the internal security force (headed by his right-hand man, Kim Chang-ryong) to put people in prison and torture them if they were thought to be Communists or North Korean agents. His government also directed several massacres, the most famous being on the island of Jeju. This was after an uprising by left-wing groups. While massacres did occur under governments that came after Rhee, there were not as many and less widespread.