Yuk Young-soo was the wife of the former president 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...

 and the mother of Korean politician, Park Geun-hye

Park Geun-hye

Park Geun-hye is a South Korean 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...

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Biography

Yuk was born in Okcheon County

Okcheon County

Okcheon County is a county in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea.-Prominent individuals:*Song Si-yeol*Yuk Young-soo First Lady of Korea, killed during an assassination attempt on her husband, Park Chung-hee.-External links:*...

, Chungcheongbuk-do

Chungcheongbuk-do

Chungcheongbuk-do is a province in the centre of South Korea. It was formed in 1896 from the northeastern half of the former Chungcheong province...

, South Korea

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...

 in 1925. After graduating Baehwa Women's High School, she married Park Chung-hee who was Lieutenant Colonel

Lieutenant colonel

Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...

 in the military in 1950. Her children include politician Park Geun-hye, plus daughter Park Seo-yeong and son Park Ji-man.

Assassination

At 10 a.m. on the Korean Independence day, August 15, 1974, she was shot and killed by Mun Segwang

Mun 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...

, a Japanese-born North Korean sympathizer, while Mun attempted to assassinate Park. Mun's first shot at Park Chung-hee missed. The second shot, aimed at Park Jong-gyu who tried to kill Mun, missed and killed Yuk instead. Park Jong-gyu's shot ricocheted off a wall and killed a high school student, Jang Bong-hwa.

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