Park Chung-hee

Park Chung-hee (1917-1979) served as the 5th through 9th President of South Korea, having come to power through the May 16 military coup of 1961. He drove economic development forcefully, leading the rapid growth known as the "Miracle on the Han River," but also established the Yushin system to prolong his rule and governed in an authoritarian manner. He was killed on 26 October 1979, shot by Kim Jae-gyu, director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency. He remains a central figure in modern Korean history, where industrialization and political controversy intersect.