Park Chung Hee

Park Chung Hee (1917–79), president of South Korea (1963–79). Leader of the 1961 military coup, he was later elected president 3 times. Increasingly more dictatorial, in 1972 he assumed almost unlimited power, and was a strong ally of the United States. He was assassinated by Kim Jae Kyn, director of the Korean C.I.A.

See also: Korea.