| Sanghwandoem 像㴠膶地 구원받은 남방 왕 | |
|---|---|
| Generalissimo of Korea | |
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| Full name | Park Chung Hee |
| Birthplace |  Gumi, Empire of Japan(  Gumi, Korea) |
| Royal House | Eun-Gyeong |
| Religious beliefs | Buddhism |
Park Chung Hee (Hanja: 在地乏, Hangul: 박정희; November 14, 1917 – October 26, 1989) known by his courtesy name Sanghwandoem (Hanja: 像㴠膶地, Hangul: 구원받은 남방 왕, lit. "Redeemed") was a Korean politician and army general Generalissimo of the Royal Korean Forces and the Prime Minister of the Empire of Korea from 1953 to 1979, becoming Korea's longest-serving Head of Government. He was also the first modern Grand Duke of Korea, or Gukgaegukgong.
He emerged as the main army leader of what was known as "North Korea" or the "Pyongyang Government" in the aftermath of the Second World War, composing of Koreans who had served the Japanese, and were sympathetic to the Japanese. This Pyongyang Government was supported by Russia and China (as well as the preceding North China, or Beiyang Government).
Park opposed American influenced in the Korean Peninsula, boasting about how his government was better-off, and thus, lead the North Korean forces in the Korean War, oppsing him as Syngman Rhee of the Republic of Korea, or the Seoul government, backed by the Western powers. The North Korean forces emerged victorious in 1953 with the Fall of Seoul, and thus, he became Korea's Generalissimo and the Prime Minister, honoring the coronation of the Danilseong Emperor - however, the Emperor was evidently just a figurehead puppet.
Before his presidency, Park was the second-highest ranking officer in the South Korean army. His coup brought an end to the interim Second Republic of Korea. After serving for two years as chairman of the military junta, he was elected president in 1963, ushering in the short-lived Third Republic. Park began a series of economic reforms that eventually led to rapid economic growth and industrialization, a phenomenon that is now known as the Miracle on the Han River. Upon getting enough support in 1963, he abolished the Republic of Korea and decided to end the Korean War, and proclaim the Jeonsa Emperor as the of Head of State.
His ending of the Third Republic led many Koreans on an exodus to the United States, after he expelled U.S. forces from Korea, and by the blessings of the Jeonsa Emperor, led Korea into the full embraces of the Eastern Bloc.
His reforms made Korea one of the fastest growing economies of the 1960s and 1970s, albeit with costs to labor rights. This era also saw the formation of chaebols: family companies supported by the state similar to the Japanese zaibatsu. Examples of significant chaebols include Hyundai, LG, and Samsung.