“Park’s regime transformed the Republic of Korea into an entity entirely different from its past form.
… Of course this change never resulted from his individual power alone. It testifies to the Korean people’s potential greatness. But we cannot overemphasize that it was Park Chung-Hee who forged the necessary conditions and motivations for this transformation.”
- Han Seung-Jo, 1999
Aloof, authoritarian and disdainful, Park Chung Hee demanded respect, not popularity. And that is what he got.
Young Park Chung Hee in Japanese Army officer uniform in Manchuria (circa June, 1944)