Who they were
An army general who ruled South Korea for eighteen years. He took power in the coup of May 16, 1961, and served as president from 1963.
What they did
His governments drove the export-led industrialization behind the “Miracle on the Han River” — five-year plans, the partnership with the chaebol conglomerates, POSCO steel, and the Gyeongbu Expressway — and normalized relations with Japan through the 1965 treaty, which was deeply controversial at home. His rule grew steadily more authoritarian: the 1972 Yushin constitution gave him near-absolute power, and dissent was suppressed. He was assassinated by his own intelligence chief on October 26, 1979.
Legacy
He is South Korea’s most contested modern figure: many credit him with the economic transformation, while many condemn him as a dictator. The assessment of his era still divides Korean society.