"Whenever our harmony and peace were confronted with dire threat, we Koreans have manifested the wisdom of risking our own lives for the defense. Here lies the secret of our cultural glories down the ages." —Park Jung-Hee, 1973
Thesis
Although Park Chung-Hee remains a controversial figure for his "dictatorship" and martial law, his economic and diplomatic policies with Japan and the United States ultimately laid the foundations for Korea's rapid rise as an industrial power, helping to reinforce progress.