Park Geun-hye
Encyclopedia
Park Geun-hye is a South Korea
n politician. She is a member of the Korean National Assembly
and was the head of the conservative Grand National Party
. She is now in her fourth parliamentary term, having first been elected in 1998. Her father was Park Chung-hee
, president of South Korea
from 1963 to 1979. She is considered the favorite to be elected to be the next president of South Korea, with a 40% of approval rating in 2009 and currently as the most influential politician in Korea.
, as the first child of Park Chung Hee and Yuk Young-soo
. Park now resides in Gumi City
near Daegu. She has two siblings; her younger brother Park Ji-man, who has been indicted several times for illegal drug uses and the current CEO of EG corporation in South Korea. The other is her younger sister Park Seo-yeong, who is the current executive director of Yookyoung foundation.
She graduated from Seoul's Seongsim High School in 1970, going on to receive a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering
from Sogang University
in 1974. Park was the chairwoman of the board of Yeungnam University
from 1982 to 1991. She received honorary doctoral degrees from Chinese Culture University
in Taiwan
in 1987, Pukyong National University
and KAIST
in 2008, and Sogang University
in 2010.
(문세광), a Korean Japanese assassin
, a member of General Association of Korean Residents in Japan under the command of North Korean
government in the National Theater of Korea
, Seoul
on August 15, 1974. Since then, she was regarded as first lady
until 1979 when her father was also assassinated
by his own intelligence chief. During this time, pro-democracy activists who were political opponents of her father continued to be subject to arbitrary detention and torture, and human rights were considered subordinate to economic development. Park Geun-hye has expressed regret at the treatment of pro-democracy activists during this period. Her religious affiliation is currently unknown.
(GNP) candidate in Dalsung, Daegu
in 1998 by-election, and elected three more times in the same electoral district between 1998 and 2008, being the incumbent assemblyperson.
Park has faced much scrutiny over an educational foundation, formerly known as Buil (after the stock it controls in the newspaper Busan Ilbo), which her father and later she headed. Its original owners claim in court they were forced to turn it over to her father.
On February 12, 2007, Park made a much-publicized visit to Harvard University
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
. Her visit culminated in an address to a packed audience at the Kennedy School of Government, where she said she wanted to "save" Korea and advocated a stronger relationship between the Republic of Korea and the US.
, Kim Jong Pil). She is also often called "the queen of elections" since she has led the Grand National Party into victory in the 2006 local election as well as all by-elections during her chairwoman's years.
A famous anecdote happened in 2006 when Park was hospitalized after an assassination attempt during local election campaigns. The first word that she said to her secretary after her recovery from her wound was "How is Daejon?" After this, the candidate from the Grand National Party won the election for the mayor of city of Daejon despite trailing by more than 20% point in opinion polls up to the point.
. She eventually lost to Lee Myung-bak
by a narrow margin. Lee had a commanding lead at the beginning of the primary season, but Park was able to narrow the gap through allegations of Lee's corruption. Park won the 'party member's bid', but she lost the 'national bid' which covers more percentage in the total presidential bid.
, President Lee Myung-bak formed the government mostly with his surrounding people. Park's supporters argued that this was a kind of 'political reprisal', and that they should secede the Grand National Party. Eventually, they formed parties named Pro-Park Alliance (친박연대; Chinbak Yeondae) and Solidarity for Pro-Park Independents (친박 무소속 연대; Chinbak Musosok Yeondae). Park herself did not join them, but indirectly supported them by announcing "I hope these people to come back alive". After the mass secession, the rebels announced that they will be remerged into GNP after the general election; GNP prohibited that rejoining.
In the following 2008 general election
, the rebels won 26 seats: 14 in Park's Party and 12 Independents. It means their pivotal role for GNP's narrow majority. Park continually claimed that GNP should allow the return of her supporters. Currently most of them came back to GNP, resulting in approximately 50-60 assembly people who supports Park out of 171 in GNP as of 2011.
issue.
In September 2011, Ahn Cheol-Soo
(안철수), a former venture IT businessman and the Dean of Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University
, emerged as a strong independent candidate for presidency. In national-level presidential polls in September 2011, Ahn and Park Geun Hye closely compete for the front-runner, with Park losing the top seat in some polls, first time since 2008, which are mostly not clearly performed on established methods.
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South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n politician. She is a member of the Korean National Assembly
National Assembly of South Korea
The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea is a 299-member unicameral legislature. The latest general elections were held on April 9, 2008. Single-member constituencies comprise 245 of the National Assembly's seats, while the remaining 54 are allocated by proportional representation...
and was the head of the conservative Grand National Party
Grand National Party
The Grand National Party is a conservative political party in South Korea. Its Korean name, Hannara, has a double meaning as "Great National" and "Korean National." The GNP holds a majority of seats in the 18th Assembly, lasting from 2008 to 2012....
. She is now in her fourth parliamentary term, having first been elected in 1998. Her father was Park Chung-hee
Park Chung-hee
Park Chung-hee was a Republic of Korea Army general and the leader of South Korea from 1961 to 1979. He seized power in a military coup and ruled until his assassination in 1979. He has been credited with the industrialization of the Republic of Korea through export-led growth...
, president of South Korea
President of South Korea
The President of the Republic of Korea is, according to the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, chief executive of the government, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and the head of state of the Republic of Korea...
from 1963 to 1979. She is considered the favorite to be elected to be the next president of South Korea, with a 40% of approval rating in 2009 and currently as the most influential politician in Korea.
Early life and education
Born in Samdeok-dong of Jung-gu, DaeguJung-gu, Daegu
Jung-gu is a gu, or district, covering the downtown area of Daegu, South Korea. It borders most of the other districts of Daegu, including Nam-gu to the south, Seo-gu to the west, Buk-gu to the north, and Dong-gu and Suseong-gu to the east...
, as the first child of Park Chung Hee and Yuk Young-soo
Yuk Young-soo
Yuk Young-soo was the wife of the former president Park Chung-hee and the mother of Korean politician, Park Geun-hye.-Biography:...
. Park now resides in Gumi City
Gumi
Gumi is the second largest city in Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea. It is located on the Nakdong River, half way between Daegu and Gimcheon, also lies on the Gyeongbu Expressway and Gyeongbu Line railway which are the principal traffic routes of the country....
near Daegu. She has two siblings; her younger brother Park Ji-man, who has been indicted several times for illegal drug uses and the current CEO of EG corporation in South Korea. The other is her younger sister Park Seo-yeong, who is the current executive director of Yookyoung foundation.
She graduated from Seoul's Seongsim High School in 1970, going on to receive a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
from Sogang University
Sogang University
Sogang University is one of the leading research and liberal arts universities in Seoul, South Korea.The University was established in 1960 by the Society of Jesus to provide education based on the Catholic beliefs and inspired by the Jesuit educational philosophy, such as Georgetown University in...
in 1974. Park was the chairwoman of the board of Yeungnam University
Yeungnam University
Yeungnam University is one of the largest universities in South Korea outside of Seoul. The university's predecessors, Taegu College and Chunggu College, were founded in Daegu in 1947 and 1950 respectively. In 1967, the two colleges merged to form the degree-granting Yeungnam University. In...
from 1982 to 1991. She received honorary doctoral degrees from Chinese Culture University
Chinese Culture University
Chinese Culture University is a private, Taiwanese university located on Yang Ming Mountain in the Shilin District of Taipei, Taiwan. CCU was established in 1962 and is one of the largest universities in Taiwan with an enrollment of about 32,000 students...
in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
in 1987, Pukyong National University
Pukyong National University
Pukyong National University is a national university located in Busan, South Korea. The university has two campuses - Daeyeon-dong and Yongdang-dong. These campuses are situated near coastal district of Nam-gu. The location itself suggests that Pukyong University has a strong traditional focus on...
and KAIST
KAIST
KAIST , is located in Daedeok Innopolis, Daejeon, South Korea. KAIST was established by the Korean government in 1971 as the nation's first research oriented science and engineering institution. The QS-The Times World University Rankings in the year of 2009 placed KAIST 69th overall and 21st in...
in 2008, and Sogang University
Sogang University
Sogang University is one of the leading research and liberal arts universities in Seoul, South Korea.The University was established in 1960 by the Society of Jesus to provide education based on the Catholic beliefs and inspired by the Jesuit educational philosophy, such as Georgetown University in...
in 2010.
As First Lady (President's first daughter)
Park lost her mother to Mun SegwangMun Segwang
Mun Se-gwang was a Japanese-born North Korean sympathizer who attempted to assassinate South Korean president Park Chung-Hee on August 15, 1974...
(문세광), a Korean Japanese assassin
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
, a member of General Association of Korean Residents in Japan under the command of North Korean
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
government in the National Theater of Korea
National Theater of Korea
The National Theater of Korea is a national theatre located in the neighborhood of Jangchung-dong, Jung-gu, South Korea. It is the first federally managed theater in Asia.- Affiliation :...
, Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
on August 15, 1974. Since then, she was regarded as first lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
until 1979 when her father was also assassinated
Park Chung-hee assassination
Park Chung-hee, president of South Korea, was assassinated by Kim Jae-kyu, his security chief as the director of Korean Central Intelligence Agency , on Friday, October 26, 1979 at 7:41pm during a dinner at a KCIA safehouse inside Blue House presidential compound in Gungjeong-dong, Seoul. It is...
by his own intelligence chief. During this time, pro-democracy activists who were political opponents of her father continued to be subject to arbitrary detention and torture, and human rights were considered subordinate to economic development. Park Geun-hye has expressed regret at the treatment of pro-democracy activists during this period. Her religious affiliation is currently unknown.
As Korean assemblywoman
Park was elected an assemblywoman as a Grand National PartyGrand National Party
The Grand National Party is a conservative political party in South Korea. Its Korean name, Hannara, has a double meaning as "Great National" and "Korean National." The GNP holds a majority of seats in the 18th Assembly, lasting from 2008 to 2012....
(GNP) candidate in Dalsung, Daegu
Daegu
Daegu , also known as Taegu, and officially the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea, the fourth largest after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, and the third largest metropolitan area in the country with over 2.5 million residents. The city is the capital and principal city of the...
in 1998 by-election, and elected three more times in the same electoral district between 1998 and 2008, being the incumbent assemblyperson.
As GNP chairperson
Park helped her party in 2006 to make significant gains in local governments and actually obtain a majority. During the campaign on May 20, 2006, a 50-year old man slashed Park's face with a small knife, causing a 10-centimeter wound on her face, requiring 60 stitches and hours of surgery.Park has faced much scrutiny over an educational foundation, formerly known as Buil (after the stock it controls in the newspaper Busan Ilbo), which her father and later she headed. Its original owners claim in court they were forced to turn it over to her father.
On February 12, 2007, Park made a much-publicized visit to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. Her visit culminated in an address to a packed audience at the Kennedy School of Government, where she said she wanted to "save" Korea and advocated a stronger relationship between the Republic of Korea and the US.
Queen of Elections
Park has been regarded as the most influential politician in South Korea since the three Kims (Kim Young Sam, Kim Dae JungKim Dae Jung
Kim Dae-jung was President of South Korea from 1998 to 2003, and the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize recipient. He came to be called the "Nelson Mandela of Asia" for his long-standing opposition to authoritarian rule.-Early life:...
, Kim Jong Pil). She is also often called "the queen of elections" since she has led the Grand National Party into victory in the 2006 local election as well as all by-elections during her chairwoman's years.
A famous anecdote happened in 2006 when Park was hospitalized after an assassination attempt during local election campaigns. The first word that she said to her secretary after her recovery from her wound was "How is Daejon?" After this, the candidate from the Grand National Party won the election for the mayor of city of Daejon despite trailing by more than 20% point in opinion polls up to the point.
2008 Presidential bid
Park hoped to emulate her father's success by becoming the nominee for the Grand National PartyGrand National Party
The Grand National Party is a conservative political party in South Korea. Its Korean name, Hannara, has a double meaning as "Great National" and "Korean National." The GNP holds a majority of seats in the 18th Assembly, lasting from 2008 to 2012....
. She eventually lost to Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak is the President of South Korea. Prior to his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction and the mayor of Seoul. He is married to Kim Yoon-ok and has three daughters and one son. His older brother is Lee Sang-deuk, a South Korean politician. He attends the...
by a narrow margin. Lee had a commanding lead at the beginning of the primary season, but Park was able to narrow the gap through allegations of Lee's corruption. Park won the 'party member's bid', but she lost the 'national bid' which covers more percentage in the total presidential bid.
Pro-Park politicians
After the 2007 presidential electionSouth Korean presidential election, 2007
The 17th South Korean presidential election took place on 19 December 2007. The election was won by Lee Myung-bak of the Grand National Party, returning conservatives to the Blue House for the first time in ten years...
, President Lee Myung-bak formed the government mostly with his surrounding people. Park's supporters argued that this was a kind of 'political reprisal', and that they should secede the Grand National Party. Eventually, they formed parties named Pro-Park Alliance (친박연대; Chinbak Yeondae) and Solidarity for Pro-Park Independents (친박 무소속 연대; Chinbak Musosok Yeondae). Park herself did not join them, but indirectly supported them by announcing "I hope these people to come back alive". After the mass secession, the rebels announced that they will be remerged into GNP after the general election; GNP prohibited that rejoining.
In the following 2008 general election
South Korean parliamentary election, 2008
Legislative elections were held in South Korea on April 9, 2008.The conservative Grand National Party won 153 of 299 seats while the main opposition United Democratic Party won 81 seats...
, the rebels won 26 seats: 14 in Park's Party and 12 Independents. It means their pivotal role for GNP's narrow majority. Park continually claimed that GNP should allow the return of her supporters. Currently most of them came back to GNP, resulting in approximately 50-60 assembly people who supports Park out of 171 in GNP as of 2011.
As Potential 2012 Presidential Candidate
Park has been the top candidate for 2012 presidential election in every national-level polls in South Korea between 2008 when Lee Myung Bak administration began and September 2011, with an approval rating of about 25%-45%, more than twice that of the second candidate. Park's approval rating was highest when 18th National Assembly election showed her strong influence and and lowest in early 2010 as a result of her political stance against Lee administration in Sejong CitySejong City
In early 2007, the Government of Republic of Korea decided to create a special administrative district housing nine ministries and four national agencies currently located in Seoul out of part of the present Chungcheongnam-do province, near Daejeon. The new district will be named Sejong Special...
issue.
In September 2011, Ahn Cheol-Soo
Ahn Cheol-Soo
Ahn Cheol-Soo , is a professor and businessperson in South Korea. He founded AhnLab Inc., an antivirus software company in 1995. Now he is the dean of the Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology at Seoul National University. He is also serving as chairman and Chief Learning Officer of...
(안철수), a former venture IT businessman and the Dean of Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University
Seoul National University
Seoul National University , colloquially known in Korean as Seoul-dae , is a national research university in Seoul, Korea, ranked 24th in the world in publications in an analysis of data from the Science Citation Index, 7th in Asia and 42nd in the world by the 2011 QS World University Rankings...
, emerged as a strong independent candidate for presidency. In national-level presidential polls in September 2011, Ahn and Park Geun Hye closely compete for the front-runner, with Park losing the top seat in some polls, first time since 2008, which are mostly not clearly performed on established methods.
Criticism
Park had been often criticized for being the "daughter of dictator" mainly by Korean left-wing politicians and for not actively supporting the Lee administration by supporters of Lee Myung-Bak. One of degrading nicknames for her is "Princess with notebook" (수첩공주; 手帖公主), as she grew up as a privileged child in the royal family and has been very taciturn, only speaking publicly from prepared manuscripts sometimes.2000
2004
2008
Writings
- 평범한 가정에 태어났더라면 by Park Geun-hye (November 1993) ISBN 200-1-04-400020-7
- 내 마음의 여정 by Park Geun-hye (Hansol Media, May 1995) ISBN 8-985-65650-3
- 고난을 벗삼아 진실을 등대삼아 (Befriending Adversities, Truth as Guiding Light) by Park Geun-hye (Busanilbo, October 1998) ISBN 8-987-23624-2
- 결국 한 줌 결국 한 점 (In the End Only a Fistful, One Speck) by Park Geun-hye (Busanilbo, October 1998) ISBN 8-987-23625-0
- 나의 어머니 육영수 (My Mother, Yuk Young Su) by Park Geun-hye (January 2001) ISBN 8-985-54154-4
- 절망은 나를 단련시키고 희망은 나를 움직인다 by Park Geun-hye (WisdomHouse, July 2007) ISBN 8-960-86033-6
External links
- Official website
- "Star Rises for Daughter of South Korea", The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, March 15, 2005. - "Park Geun Hye's Dictatorial Heritage", The Hankyoreh, July 27, 2004.
- "Park Geun-hye Elected New GNP Chairperson", The Chosun Ilbo, March 23, 2004.
- Watch Park Geun-hye at the JFK Jr. Forum at Harvard University on 2/12/07
- GNP flings hard queries at its own leaders, JoongAng IlboJoongAng IlboJoongAng Ilbo is a conservative newspaper published in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the "big three newspapers" in South Korea. It has a circulation of 1.96 million copies in South Korea . Its average page count per copy is around 52...
, July 20, 2007.
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