Park Geun-hye

Infobox AM
name= Park Geun-hye
박근혜 朴槿惠


imagesize= 135px
constituency_AM= Dalseong, Daegu
assembly= South Korean National
term_start= April 1998
term_end=
predecessor= Kim Suk-won
successor=
birth_date= 1952
birth_place= Daegu
party= Grand National Party
website= [http://www.parkgeunhye.or.kr/english/ www.parkgeunhye.or.kr/english] Infobox Korean name
|width=130px
hangul=박근혜
hanja=朴槿惠
rr=Bak Geunhye
mr=Pak Kǔnhye

Park Geun-hye (born February 2, 1952) is a South Korean politician. She is a member of the 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 79.

Early life and education

Born in Samdeok-dong of Jung-gu, Daegu, Park now resides in nearby Gumi City. 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. In 1987, she earned her doctoral degree from Chinese Culture University in Taiwan. Park was also the chairwoman of the board of Yeungnam University from 1982 to 1991.

As First Lady

Park lost her mother to a leftist Korean Japanese assassin in 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 (political opponents of her father's military dictatorship) continued to be subject to arbitrary detention and torture, and human rights were considered subordinate to economic development. [C.I. Eugene Kim, 'Emergency, Development, and Human Rights: South Korea,' Asian Survey 18/4 (April 1978): 363-378.] Park Geun-hye has expressed regret at the treatment of pro-democracy activists during this period. [See 'Park Calls 1961 Coup 'Revolution' to Save Nation', KBS News, July 19, 2007 available at http://english.kbs.co.kr/news/newsview_sub.php?menu=2&key=2007071917 (accessed 14 August 2007). On a visit to South Korea in 1979, President Carter proposed to discuss the issue of human rights with Park Geun-hye. See 'US Voiced Human Rights Concerns to Park', KBS News, July 19, 2007, available at http://english.kbs.co.kr/news/newsview_sub.php?menu=2&key=2007071913 (accessed 14 August 2007).]

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. [See http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200605/200605210002.html.]

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.

Park has two siblings, one of whom is her younger brother Park Ji-man, who was infamous for his drug convictions. The other sibling is her younger sister Park Seo-yeong, who is currently the executive director of Yookyoung foundation.

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. [See http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=516993 and http://ksgaccman.harvard.edu/iop/events_forum_video.asp?ID=3065.]

Presidential bid

Park hoped to emulate her father's success by becoming the nominee for the Grand National Party. 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.

Actually, 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 election, President Lee Myung-bak formed the government mostly with his surrounding people. Surrounding people of Park argued that it is a kind of 'political reprisal', and that they should secede the Grand National Party. Eventually, they formed Park's Party ("Chinbak Yeondae", literally Pro-Park Alliance or Solidarity) and Solidarity for Pro-Park Independents ("Chinbak Musosok Yeondae"), but she herself didn't join them. 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 is now continually claiming that GNP should allow the return of her supporters.

Notes

ee also

*Politics of South Korea
*List of Koreans
*List of Korea-related topics

External links

* [http://www.parkgeunhye.or.kr/english/ Official website]
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35058-2005Mar14.html?nav=rss_topnews "Star Rises for Daughter of South Korea"] , The Washington Post, March 15, 2005.
* [http://www.hani.co.kr/section-001100000/2004/07/001100000200407270243001.html "Park Geun Hye's Dictatorial Heritage"] , The Hankyoreh, July 27, 2004.
* [http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200403/200403230009.html "Park Geun-hye Elected New GNP Chairperson"] , The Chosun Ilbo, March 23, 2004.
* [http://ksgaccman.harvard.edu/iop/events_forum_video.asp?ID=3065 Watch Park Geun-hye at the JFK Jr. Forum at Harvard University on 2/12/07]
* [http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2878264 GNP flings hard queries at its own leaders] , JoongAng Ilbo, July 20, 2007.