Park Chung-hee

Park Chung-hee (Korean: 박정희; 14 November 1917 – 26 October 1979) was president of South Korea during the 1960s and 1970s, after forcibly taking charge of the country through a coup. He was assassinated in 1979.

Quotes

In May 1961 when I took over power as the leader of the revolutionary group, I honestly felt as if I had been given a pilfered household or bankrupt firm to manage. Around me I could find little hope of encouragement. The outlook was bleak. But I had to rise above this pessimism to rehabilitate the household. I had to destroy, once and for all, the vicious circle of poverty and economic stagnation. Only by reforming the economic structure would we lay a foundation for decent living standards.
- As quoted in An economy in armor; in Korea's quiet revolution (1992), by Frank B. Gibney, New York: Walker and Company, p. 50

We have been born into this land, charged with the historic mission of regenerating the nation.
- 우리는 민족 중흥의 역사적 사명을 띠고 이 땅에 태어났다
- The Charter of National Education of Korea(국민교육헌장) (1968)

This territory belongs to our citizens, and we are the main agents of its defense.
- As quoted in "North Korea and the US Elections" (13 September 2024), by B.R. Myers, Sthele Press

Like a Long Magnolia Blossom Bending to the Wind. Under heavy silence. Of a house in mourning. Only the cry of cicadas. Ma'am, ma'am, ma'am. Seem to long for you who is now gone. Under the August sun. The Indian Lilacs turn crimson. As if trying to heal the wounds of the mind. My wife has departed alone. Only I am left. Like a lone magnolia blossom bending to the wind. Where can I appeal. The sadness of a broken heart.
- Poem (August 1974), as quoted in Brothers at War: The Unending Conflict in Korea (2013), by Sheila Miyoshi Jager, London: Profile Books, p. 414.

Already into the last week of October! The dying fall holds only loneliness. In the garden the chrysanthemums bloom, beautiful, peaceful, as they did a year ago, but the autumn leaves, falling one by one, only make me sad.
- Diary entry (October 1974), as quoted in The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History Revised and Updated (2001), by Don Oberdorfer, p. 55.

A year ago on this day around 9:45 a.m. you came downstairs dressed in an orange Korean dress and we left together for the ceremonies. You were leaving the Blue House for the last time in your life. This day a year ago was the longest of my life, the most painful and sad. My mind went blank with grief and despair. I felt as though I had lost everything in the world. All things became a burden and I lost my courage and will. A year has passed since then. And during that year I have cried alone in secret too many times to count.
- Diary entry (15 August 1975), as quoted in The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History Revised and Updated (2001), by Don Oberdorfer, p. 56.

If we are weak, our country will be in jeopardy. It is the living lesson of human history of the rise and fall of nations. In order for a country not to fall, it must cultivate its own strength.
- As quoted in Toward Peaceful Unification: Selected Speeches & Interviews (1978), Kwangmyong Publishing Company, p. 31.

But the challenge must be faced squarely. I believe we can overcome it through our own efforts. We must do so. They key is our national power. Take courage from our national pride and traditions, no matter how thorny the road to independence may be.
- As quoted in Toward Peaceful Unification: Selected Speeches & Interviews (1978), Kwangmyong Publishing Company, pp. 47-48.

It is with a deep sense of shock and sorrow that I have learned of the death of President Park Chung-Hee. President Park was a firm friend of America, a staunch ally, and an able leader. In particular, his role in Korea's remarkable economic development will not be forgotten. Let me assure you, as you assume your duties as Acting President, that the United States Government will continue to stand firmly behind its treaty commitments to the Republic of Korea. Our thoughts will be with you and the Korean people during this difficult time.
- Jimmy Carter; Republic of Korea Letter to Acting President Choi Kyu Ha Following the Death of President Park Chung Hee Online, The American Presidency Project; 27 October 1978

I was deeply gratified to learn that the National Assembly of Korea, at your request, has approved the dispatch of a Korean division to join the Korean troops already assisting the Vietnamese people in their fight to preserve the freedom of the Republic of South Viet-Nam. The American people welcome this further demonstration of the devotion of Korea to the spirit of liberty and independence. I know how much this contribution owes to your leadership and I want to express to you my personal gratitude.
- Lyndon B. Johnson; Message to the President of Korea on Learning of Plans To Dispatch Korean Troops to South Viet-Nam, The American Presidency Project; 13 August 1965

The war is a huge embarrassment. While the Chinese, Americans, and even the Filipinos got to fight, we were torn between ineffectual partisans and collaborators. So many collaborators in fact, that our country is still turned upside down by this issue a hundred years later. The dictator-president who put us on the map was a collaborator too.
- Robert E. Kelly, "What Asia's leaders should (but won't) say about the 70th anniversary of the Pacific War" (8 April 2015), The Interpreter