Korean rock ( Korean : 한국의 록 ) is rock music from South Korea. It has roots in American rock , which was imported to South Korea by U.S. soldiers fighting in the Korean War and stationing in U.S. military bases in South Korea after the war. Around the U.S. military bases, local musicians could have opportunities to learn American rock music and perform it on stage for U.S. soldiers. As a result, many Korean rock bands, called Vocal Bands or Group Sound, started their musical careers in the 1960s. Under the military administration in the 1970s, rock music and its subculture were classified as a depraved youth culture and restricted. After the Korean Fifth Republic , the censorship policies under the military government were abolished and rock music became a mainstream genre in South Korea until the end of the 1980s. Today, rock music is not the main genre in the music market in South Korea, but it still occupies a big portion of music consumption in the nation.
81-460: K-Rock may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media [ edit ] Korean rock , rock music from Korea Musicians/bands [ edit ] K-Rock, an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee who has worked with artist like Tommy Wright III and the American rap group Three 6 Mafia . Radio [ edit ] K-Rock (radio) ,
162-541: A military dictator continues to cause controversy. Before his presidency, Park was the second-highest-ranking officer in the South Korean army . His coup brought an end to the interim Second Republic of Korea . After serving for two years as chairman of the military junta , he was elected president in 1963 , ushering in the Third Republic . A firm anti-communist , he continued to maintain close ties with
243-475: A treaty normalizing relations with Japan , which included payment of reparations and the making of soft-loans from Japan, and led to increased trade and investment between South Korea and Japan. In July 1966 South Korea and the United States signed a Status of Forces Agreement establishing a more equal relationship between the two countries. With its growing economic strength and the security guarantee of
324-531: A Captain Kanno Hiroshi had previously partaken in the failed February 26 incident coup in Japan, and taught an analysis of the coup that Park possibly heeded. Lee evaluated this account as convincing, and theorized that, years later, Park applied the lessons to his own coup. In March 1942, Park graduated among the top five students of the academy. After graduation, he took a three-month apprenticeship in
405-641: A U.S. military base. Shin, who came to be known as South Korea's "Godfather of rock", later said that Korean rock was born on U.S. military bases. One girl group called The Kim Sisters debuted on the U.S. military base stage, practiced their talents and skills, and then started their musical career in the United States. In 1962, Shin Jung-hyeon formed the first Korean rock band, Add4. Soon after, other Korean rock bands, referred to as "Group Sound" musicians, emerged, including HE6, K'okkiri Brothers, and Key Boys, who are best known for their hit song, "Let's Go to
486-628: A blood oath ( 혈서 ; 血書 ; hyŏlsŏ ) in order to demonstrate his fealty to Japan and draw publicity for his cause. Park did so. On March 31, 1939, the Manchukuo newspaper Manshū Shimbun ran an article called "Blood Oath: Desire to be an Army Officer: Young Teacher from the Peninsula". On the 29th, admissions officers of the Military Government command were deeply moved by a piece of registered mail from Park Chung Hee,
567-420: A campaign to "clean up" the streets by arresting and putting the homeless to work in "welfare centers". The American historian Carter Eckert wrote that the historiography, including his work, around Park has tended to ignore the "enormous elephant in the room" namely that the way in which Park sought kündaehwa ( modernization ) of South Korea was influenced by his distinctively militaristic way of understanding
648-654: A common brand of radio stations Sports facilitates [ edit ] Rogers K-Rock Centre , a sports and entertainment venue in Kingston, Ontario, Canada Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title K-Rock . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=K-Rock&oldid=1147411178 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
729-552: A marriage to a different woman: Kim Ho-nam [ ko ] . The two married in 1935 while Park was still in love with Yi. While the marriage produced a daughter, Park Jae-ok , Kim was reportedly appalled at the family's poverty, and the couple avoided each other as much as possible. After their marriage, Park had a year left to go at school, so he left her at the Park household and returned. On March 20, 1937, Park graduated from Taegu, ranked 69 out of 70 in his class. As part of
810-579: A member of the Workers' Party of South Korea , the allegations concerning his involvement in a military cell were never substantiated. Nevertheless, he was forced out of the army. While working in the Army as an unpaid civilian assistant, he came across the 8th class of the Korea Military Academy (graduated in 1950), among whom was Kim Jong-pil , and this particular class would later serve as
891-602: A number of them. On Sundays, Park attended a seodang (traditional school), where he received an education in the Confucian classics . Also around this time, he attended the Presbyterian Sangmo Church in Gumi. His family teased him for this, as they did not attend church, though he stopped at the end of elementary school. Decades later, he donated money to repair the church after it was damaged during
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#1732791001556972-509: A teacher at Western Mungyeong Public School in North Gyeongsang Province, Korea. Included in the mail was a passionate letter that expressed Park's desire to be an army officer, as well as an oath written in blood that read "Service Until Death" ( 一死以テ御奉公 ) ... Becoming an officer, however, is limited to those already in the army; being 23 years old, he exceeded the age limit of 19. Therefore and regretfully, his application
1053-557: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Korean rock Rock music was brought to South Korea in 1950 by U.S. soldiers fighting in the Korean War . After the war ended in 1953, many U.S. soldiers remained in South Korea , stationed on military bases, where local musicians and singers performed. In 1957, South Korea's first rock guitarist, Shin Jung-hyeon , debuted on
1134-674: The Imperial Japanese Army , there was the belief that bushido would give Japanese soldiers enough "spirit" as to make them invincible in battle, as the Japanese regarded war as simply a matter of willpower with the side with the stronger will always prevailing. Reflecting his background as a man trained by Japanese officers, one of Park's favorite sayings was "we can do anything if we try" as Park argued that all problems could be overcome by sheer willpower. Eckert wrote when interviewing Park's closest friends, he always received
1215-746: The Kennedy administration . In 1963, he was elected president in his own right as the candidate of the newly created Democratic Republican Party . He appointed Park Myung-keun , the Vice Leader of the party as the chief of the President's Office. He narrowly defeated former President Yun, the candidate of the Civil Rule Party, by just over 156,000 votes—a margin of 1.5 percent. Park would be re-elected president in 1967 , defeating Yun with somewhat less difficulty. In June 1965 Park signed
1296-545: The Korean Central Intelligence Agency in order to prevent counter-coups and suppress potential enemies, both foreign and domestic. Along with being given investigative powers, the KCIA was also given the authority to arrest and detain anyone suspected of wrongdoing or having anti-government sentiments. Under its first director, retired Brigadier General Kim Jong-pil , a relative of Park and one of
1377-701: The Korean Chinese historian Ryu Yŏnsan ( 류연산 ) in 2003, posits that Park may have joined the Gando Special Force as another show of fealty. The unit was meant to suppress Korean independence activism in the Jiandao region ("Gando" in Korean, "Kantō" in Japanese) of Northeast China. However, this theory is rejected by biographers Cho Gab-je and Chong-Sik Lee, who argue that the testimony that
1458-438: The Korean War . People who knew Park as a child described him as competitive and persistent. His classmates later recalled that even after he lost in competitions of strength, such as arm wrestling or ssireum (Korean wrestling), he would taunt his opponents and demand rematches until he won. Park's friends remembered him as a voracious reader of history, who frequently talked excitedly about his historical heroes. When he
1539-535: The Miracle on the Han River . This made South Korea one of the fastest growing economies of the 1960s and 1970s, albeit with costs to labor rights . This era also saw the formation of chaebols : family companies supported by the state similar to the Japanese zaibatsu . Examples of significant chaebols include Hyundai , LG , and Samsung . Although popular during the 1960s, Park's popularity started to plateau by
1620-476: The Park Chung Hee administration. Shin Jung-hyeon was imprisoned on drug charges. Han Dae-soo moved to New York in self-exile after two of his albums were banned by the government. The imprisonment of Shin slowed the production of Korean rock, but other artists, most notably Sanulrim emerged during the late 1970s, before dance music came to dominate Korean popular music in the 1980s. Nonetheless, since
1701-535: The United States , which had maintained a large Army garrison in the country since the end of the Korean War . He supported American military involvement in Southeast Asia , and sent South Korean troops to Vietnam soon after seizing power. Park began a series of economic reforms that eventually led to rapid and unprecedented economic growth and industrialization, a phenomenon that is now known as
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#17327910015561782-679: The constabulary army under the United States Army Military Government in South Korea . The newly established South Korean government , under the leadership of Syngman Rhee , arrested Park in November 1948 on charges that he led a Communist cell in the Korean constabulary. Park was subsequently sentenced to death by a military court, but his sentence was commuted by Rhee at the urging of several high-ranking Korean military officers. While Park had been
1863-597: The '80s. In 1980, the hard rock band Magma came out at the college song festival and shocked people. Hard rock and heavy metal were also gaining attention in Korea due to the appearance of Magma. Since then, Baekdusan, Boohwal and Sinawe , the bands that represent the 1980s, were also called the Korean Rock Band Trio in the 80s. The song festival also attracted attention from rock bands that would succeed Magma, T-sams in 1987 and Infinite Track in 1988. The 1980s
1944-539: The 1970s, with closer than expected victories during the 1971 presidential election and the subsequent legislative elections . In 1972, Park declared martial law after carrying out a self-coup . He then introduced the highly authoritarian Yushin Constitution , ushering in the Fourth Republic . Now ruling as a dictator , he constantly repressed political opposition and dissent and completely controlled
2025-459: The 1970s, with the spread of the phonograph to middle-class families, the distribution of pirated foreign music, and the popularity of playing rock and pop music in music cafes, the number of rock music fans increased and the foundation of rock music culture began to grow. Although there were far more opportunities to listen to western original rock music, the government's censorship was still strict, preventing creative activities from being free. In
2106-451: The 1980s, popular musical tastes moved away from rock music. The scene was dominated by heavy metal music , in particular Boohwal , Baekdoosan, and Sinawe , collectively known as the Big 3. The young generation of South Korea who grew up listening to rock music in the early '70s became college students or adults and became the main members of the rock called Group Sound, which led to a craze in
2187-590: The 1990s. While metal bands like Crash (1989), Seed (1996), and Sad Legend (1996) were performing Thrash Metal and Death Metal in concert halls and smaller clubs such as Metallica in Shinrim-dong and Drug in Hongdae, there were other heavier genres that would appear in South Korea. Thanks to the internet, extreme metal subgenres like Black Metal and Grindcore influenced bands like Kalpa (1996), Oathean (1996), Dark Mirror ov Tragedy (2003), and Mangani (2013). While
2268-744: The 5th and 7th Divisions of the South Korean army before his promotion to major general in 1958. Park was then appointed Chief of Staff of the First Army and made the head of the Korean 1st and 6th District Command, which gave him responsibility for the defense of Seoul . In 1960, Park became commander of the Pusan Logistics Command before becoming Chief of the Operations Staff of the South Korean Army and
2349-485: The Beach." The group sound musicians of the mid-1960s were heavily influenced by American and British rock of the same era. However, instead of performing exclusively on U.S. military bases, they began to perform for South Korean audiences. The first generation of Korean rock musicians, including Shin Jung-hyeon, started to appear in the 1960s. However, South Korea was suffering under a totalitarian military dictatorship and
2430-626: The Hongdae and Mullae-dong areas, Busan, and Daegu. There are some festivals, like the Busan Rock Festival (2000–present), and the Dongducheon Rock Festival (1999–present). In the 2000s, Korean media outlets started producing television series covering rock music. Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) produced a four-part musical drama series in 2010 called Rock, Rock, Rock based on the life of Boowhal founder Kim Tae-won and covers his life from middle school until
2511-529: The II and III Artillery Corps during the war. By the time the war ended in 1953, Park had risen to become a brigadier general. After the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement , Park was selected for six months' training at Fort Sill in the United States . After returning to Korea, Park rose rapidly in the military hierarchy. He was the head of the Army's Artillery School and commanded
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2592-518: The Internet, the music scene diversified and incorporated more styles of music. The late 1990s saw increasing diversity in musical influences, as younger bands like Rux emerged and The Geeks introduced Korea to straight edge hardcore punk . Ska-punk was another strong early influence, producing bands including Lazybone and Beach Valley. In 2006, Skasucks formed and led the ska-punk movement in Korea. The second wave of Korean heavy metal began in
2673-669: The Kwantung Army's 30th Infantry Regiment in Harbin as a liaison. His talents as an officer were swiftly recognized and he was one of the few Koreans allowed to attend the Imperial Japanese Army Academy near Tokyo. He was subsequently posted to a Japanese Army regiment in Manchuria and served there until Japan's surrender at the end of World War II. After graduating fifth in the class of 1944, Park
2754-498: The Military Revolutionary Committee. When he found out that he was going to be retired within the next few months, he sped up the committee's plans. It led a military coup on May 16, 1961, which was nominally led by Army Chief of Staff Chang Do-yong after his defection on the day it started. On May 18, Chang Myon announced his resignation along with his cabinet. Yun accepted the coup and persuaded
2835-544: The United States Eighth Army and the commanders of various ROK army units not to interfere with the new government. Initially, a new administration was formed from among those military officers who supported Park. The reformist military Supreme Council for National Reconstruction was nominally led by General Chang. Following Chang's arrest in July 1961, Park took overall control of the council. The coup
2916-736: The United States, the threat of a conventional invasion from North Korea seemed increasingly remote. Following the escalation of the Vietnam War with the deployment of ground combat troops in March 1965, South Korea sent the Capital Division and the 2nd Marine Brigade to South Vietnam in September 1965, followed by the White Horse Division in September 1966. Throughout the 1960s, Park made speeches in which he blamed
2997-557: The academy fondly. At a state dinner in Tokyo in November 1961, Park made a point to find and thank General Nagumo Shinichirō ( 南雲慎一郎 ), the former commandant of the academy, for his time there. Nagumo revealed that Park had been sending him gifts of ginseng . At the time, Manchukuo was seen as a haven for Japanese political extremists of both the left and right, and the academy similarly had instructors who were then and later associated with significant controversy. According to one account,
3078-666: The backbone of the May 16 coup . Right after the Korean War began and with help from Paik Sun-Yup , Park returned to active service as a major in the South Korean Army . He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in September 1950 and to colonel in April 1951. As a colonel, Park was the deputy director of the Army Headquarters Intelligence Bureau in 1952 before switching to artillery and commanded
3159-460: The competent admiral was treated poorly by these groups during his lifetime. Lee speculated that this later influenced Park's authoritarian leadership style. In 1932, Park was admitted to Taegu Normal School [ ko ] , a secondary school that trained elementary school teachers. Admissions were highly competitive, as it was the third such school in Korea, tuition was free, and teaching positions were historically seen as prestigious. Park
3240-653: The conditions of his schooling, he was required to teach for at least two years, and was placed in the Mungyeong Public Normal School [ ko ] . The school was in Mungyeong , then an isolated coal mining town. He finally began receiving a comfortable salary, which he sent part of to his family. But just as he had once done, his students walked to the school daily often from far away and struggled to afford meals. He offered assistance to several of them in order to have them keep coming to
3321-490: The country (especially after 1971) and for prioritizing economic growth and social order at the expense of civil liberties and human rights . A Gallup Korea poll in October 2021 showed Park, Kim Dae-jung (an old opponent of Park whom he tried to have executed), and Roh Moo-hyun as the most highly rated presidents of South Korean history in terms of leaving a positive legacy, especially among South Korean conservatives and
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3402-530: The deputy commander of the Second Army. As such, he was one of the most powerful and influential figures in the military. On April 26, 1960, Syngman Rhee , the authoritarian inaugural President of South Korea , was forced out of office and into exile following the April Revolution , a student-led uprising. Yun Po-sun was elected as president later that year on July 29, although the real power
3483-477: The early 2000s, fanzines were being made by expatriates and Koreans that discussed the rock subculture and reviewed local bands’ music releases. Thanks to the help, and interest, of foreigners and newcomers to the music scene, albums are being recorded, produced by members within the scene and then distributed by record labels founded underground band members. Some bands, like Dark Mirror ov Tragedy, have signed contracts with foreign labels and are receiving support from
3564-466: The elderly. Park's daughter Park Geun-hye later served as the 11th president of South Korea from 2013 until she was impeached and convicted of various corruption charges in 2017. Park was born around 11 am on November 14, 1917, in Sangmo-dong [ ko ] , Gumi , Korea, Empire of Japan to father Pak Sŏngbin [ ko ] and mother Paek Namŭi [ ko ] . He
3645-489: The entire school participated in enshū ( 演習 ) —military training programs. According to Lee, Park enjoyed and excelled in these aspects of the school. He took up kendo and became a trumpeter. His enthusiasm caught the eye of Lt. Col. Arikawa Keiichi ( 有川圭一 , 1891–1945) of the Kwantung Army , who ran the military training programs and became fond of Park. Park became interested in quitting teaching and joining
3726-537: The family. According to Lee, Park's family was about to go through their worst economic struggles yet. Around this time, Asia was experiencing the effects of the Great Depression and Japanese colonial policies mandated that Koreans send to Japan a significant portion of their agricultural output for what was seen as inadequate compensation. Park's schooling at Taegu was militaristic, especially as Japanese military officers were involved in running it. In fall,
3807-560: The film, which took just over a year to film, the South Korean extreme metal scene is covered in detail. Current members of extreme metal bands and bands such as Baekdoosan and Mahatma are interviewed. Music venue owners like Lee Yuying of GBN Live House, Kirk Kwon of Thunderhorse Tavern and Jay Lee of 3Thumbs are also interviewed. “Today, most kinds of music promotion in South Korea happen online, with diminutive mainstream attention and downloadable albums.” Promoters use social networking platforms to inform fans of upcoming shows. At one point in
3888-413: The label. Park Chung Hee Park Chung Hee ( Korean : 박정희 ; November 14, 1917 – October 26, 1979) was a South Korean politician and army officer who served as the third president of South Korea from 1962 until his assassination in 1979, after he seized power in the May 16 coup of 1961. He is regarded as one of the most consequential leaders in Korean history, although his legacy as
3969-545: The military. But to his contemporaries, his chances seemed slim; entrance into the Japanese Military Academy was highly competitive for Koreans, and Park's grades were plummeting. In 1935, he was ranked last among the 73 students in his class and missed more days of school each year. Park's teachers attributed this to his dire economic situation. Lee theorizes that the absences were caused by his parents' inability to gather enough money for his expenses at
4050-544: The military. He also had much control over the media and expressions of art . In 1979, Park was assassinated by his close friend Kim Jae-gyu , director of the KCIA , following the Busan–Masan Uprising . Whether the assassination was spontaneous or premeditated remains unclear to this day. Economic growth continued in spite of the 1979 coup d'état and considerable political turmoil in the wake of his assassination . He
4131-506: The non-Japanese students. He was fluent in Japanese, comparatively well-educated, and already accustomed to military drills and regimented dormitory life from his time at Taegu Normal School. He adopted and went by the Japanese name Takagi Masao ( 高木正雄 ) . Park was made to assist other students. Several of his Chinese and Korean classmates later described him as arrogant, and recalled that other students picked fights with him. In spite of this, according to Lee, Park remembered his time at
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#17327910015564212-522: The original planners of the coup, the KCIA would extend its power to economic and foreign affairs. President Yun remained in office, giving the military regime legitimacy. After Yun resigned on March 24, 1962, Lt. General Park, who remained chairman of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction, consolidated his power by becoming acting president; he was also promoted to full general. Park agreed to restore civilian rule following pressure from
4293-475: The presidency of Roh Tae-woo . As information flowed more freely into the country, Korean youths were exposed to decades of popular foreign music in a short span of time, and some began to form bands. Two of the earliest bands were Crying Nut and No Brain , which introduced the country to a variety of new genres in a localized blend called "Chosun Punk", spearheaded by indie label Drug Records which also managed Club Drug. With increased globalization and access to
4374-499: The salary and benefits, is a subject of academic debate. However, the Japanese military was wary of accepting Koreans due to concerns over their loyalty, and thus only accepted a fraction of the applicants each year. If a Korean could demonstrate unshakable patriotism, they were considered to have a better chance of being accepted. In 1938, Park applied to join the Manchukuo Army Military Academy, which
4455-411: The same answer when he asked them what was the important influence on Park, namely his officer training by the Japanese in Manchukuo. All of Park's friends told Eckert that to understand him, one needed to understand his Ilbonsik sagwan kyoyuk (Japanese officer training) as they all maintained Park's values were those of an Imperial Japanese Army officer. On June 19, 1961, the military council created
4536-531: The school in time, which caused him to miss the first several weeks of each term. In addition, Park's older brother Sang Hee lost his job (and two children to disease) in 1935, making him unable to assist the rest of the family. By contrast, many of Park's classmates came from financially comfortable families. Several of them recalled that Park felt humiliated by his situation. When they pooled their money to buy snacks, Park would excuse himself and sulk alone. One classmate recalled finding Park in tears one evening. He
4617-499: The school. While Park was remembered by his students as a caring and enthusiastic teacher, Lee speculates that, in such a small town, Park was lonely and understimulated. He and his roommate reportedly drank large amounts of makgeolli —Korean rice wine—to pass the time. Shortly after Park began teaching, Japan launched the Second Sino-Japanese War , and began making significant victories in quick succession. Park
4698-420: The social atmosphere under the Park Chung Hee administration, which was still conservative and closed, hippie culture and rock music, which was representative of youth culture, was merely a target of suppression. In the 1960s, while western countries and Japan were overwhelmed by a new youth culture revolution with rock music, South Korea was far from the fad. During the 1970s, music was heavily censored by
4779-462: The sound of some groups was influenced by their foreign counterparts, other bands added Korean elements to their sound. Some of the examples of this would be Dokaebi ( 도깨비 ) a death metal band with Korean chanting, Gostwind, a progressive metal band using traditional Korean instruments, and Bamseomhaejeokdan ( 밤섬해적단 ) which mixes Grindcore with Korean topics. Underground shows normally occur in Seoul, in
4860-487: The theory is based on does not align with the chronology of widely accepted events in Park's life. The schooling environment at the Manchukuo Academy was tense, in part due to its significant ethnic, linguistic, and political diversity. Its student body was composed of around 10 Korean, 223 Chinese, and 107 Japanese people. According to Chong-sik Lee, Park excelled at the academy, especially in comparison to
4941-478: The world, and the degree in which the Japanophile Park was influenced by Japanese militarism as he created what South Korean historians call a "developmental dictatorship". Eckert called South Korea under Park's leadership one of the most militarized states in the entire world, writing that Park sought to militarize South Korean society in a way that no other South Korean leader has ever attempted. In
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#17327910015565022-403: The year 2003. In 2013 ArirangTV produced a 13-part series called Rock on Korea hosted by Kim Do-kyun, guitarist of Baekdooson, that chronicles rock music on the South Korean peninsula from the 1960s to present-day rock bands that are currently performing in Korean clubs. In 2018, United States ex-pats Ian Henderson and Michael O'Dwyer produced the movie documentary K-Pop Killers. In
5103-452: Was 6 kilometers (3.7 mi) away from his home. The long daily walk and his hunger took a toll on his body. Park wrote of this in his memoirs: [Class started at 8 a.m...] If I suspected I was late, I'd run the [6 km] to school... During the winter, food in my school lunch box would freeze. If I ate it anyway, my stomach would become upset, and I'd sometimes vomit. During these times, I'd sometimes go [without eating for days]... Park
5184-413: Was accepted from among 1,070 applicants into a class of 10 Japanese and 90 Korean students; he was ranked 50th at time of admission. Despite the prestige and free tuition, his mother had hoped that he would not be accepted. The living expenses his education incurred (at a time when currency was scarce and bartering was the norm), as well as the loss of his help on the farm, created a significant burden for
5265-512: Was around 13, Park became an admirer of the French leader Napoleon . Around this time, he also came to idolize the famed Korean Admiral Yi Sun-sin (who fought the Japanese during the Imjin War ). Park read a biography about the admiral by Yi Gwangsu which moved him deeply. According to Lee, a significant part of the biography is disparaging toward politicians and even Koreans in general, as
5346-405: Was around 43 at the time of Park's birth. Due to her advanced age and disastrous economic situation, she tried to abort the pregnancy on a number of occasions. When her son was eventually born, however, she was reportedly deeply affectionate toward him. Park had a number of health concerns in his youth. For much of his early life, he did not eat well and was often described as sickly. When he
5427-518: Was being sent home to collect money for his living expenses, despite knowing that his family would not have it. Lee speculates that Park became more pragmatic and calculating during this time, as they were traits that were needed for not only staying enrolled, but also to avoid starving. In 1934, Park began secretly dating Yi Chŏngok ( 이정옥 ), who was attending a girls school in the same city. Park's father wished to see Park married as soon as possible, and not knowing about his son's relationship, arranged
5508-497: Was commissioned as a lieutenant into the army of Manchukuo , a Japanese puppet-state , and served during the final stages of World War II as aide-de-camp to a regimental commander. Park returned to Korea after the war and enrolled at the Korea Military Academy . He graduated in the second class of 1946 (one of his classmates was Kim Jae-gyu , his close friend and later assassin) and became an officer in
5589-481: Was consistently among the shortest students at each school he attended, and was often described as sickly in his school records. In sixth grade, he was 135.8 cm (4 ft 5 + 1 ⁄ 2 in) tall and weighed 30 kg (66 lb). In spite of his physical challenges, he was a diligent student who got good grades. Park was made class leader for several years; his classmates later recalled that he could be overbearing in enforcing discipline, even slapping
5670-429: Was given a small plot of land. According to later interviews, he did not work the land with his wife and instead drank alcohol and wandered around. Biographer of Park Chong-Sik Lee speculates that the elder Park did not wish to be seen working to avoid showing acceptance of his lost yangban status. Park's mother was seen by her contemporaries as diligent and focused. She managed both the household and farming. She
5751-476: Was held by Prime Minister Chang Myon . Problems arose immediately because neither man could command loyalty from any majority of the Democratic Party or reach agreement on the composition of the cabinet. Prime Minister Chang attempted to hold the tenuous coalition together by reshuffling cabinet positions three times within five months. Meanwhile, the new government was caught between an economy that
5832-499: Was inspired by the success of the Japanese. He even wrote a stageplay that his students acted out, entitled [The Korean] Volunteer Soldiers Go to War ( 『지원병출정』 ). The play reflected contemporary events, as around February 1938, the colonial government had instituted the Special Volunteer Enlistment System. Thousands of Korean youths applied, although whether most applied willingly, or even just for
5913-401: Was largely welcomed by a general populace exhausted by political chaos. Soon after the coup, Park was promoted to Lieutenant General . The South Korean historian Hwang Moon Kyung described Park's rule as very "militaristic", noting right from the start Park aimed to mobilize South Korean society along "militaristically disciplined lines". One of Park's very first acts upon coming to power was
5994-429: Was otherwise fairly happy. According to Cho, Park had many close friends, his parents got along well, and his family was affectionate toward him. Park was the second person in his family, after his older brother Park Sang Hee [ ko ] , to attend elementary school. He enrolled on April 1, 1927, at age 9 and eventually graduated on March 25, 1932. His school, Gumi Elementary School [ ko ] ,
6075-409: Was politely rejected. In spite of this second rejection, Park was somehow eventually accepted to the academy. The circumstances surrounding his acceptance are not known with certainty, and are a source of controversy. The leading theory is that Arikawa, then a colonel in the Kwantung Army, personally asked the commandant of the academy Major General Nagumo to let Park in. Another theory, proposed by
6156-621: Was soon afterwards succeeded by Choi Kyu-hah , who ruled for only a year before being deposed by career army officer Chun Doo-Hwan . The country eventually democratized with the June Democratic Struggle in 1987. Park remains a controversial figure in modern South Korean political discourse and among the South Korean populace in general, making a detached evaluation of his tenure difficult. While some credit him for sustaining economic growth, which reshaped and modernized South Korea, others criticize his authoritarian way of ruling
6237-609: Was suffering from a decade of mismanagement and corruption under the Rhee presidency and the students who had instigated Rhee's ousting. Protesters regularly filled the streets making numerous and wide-ranging demands for political and economic reforms. Public security had deteriorated while the public had distrusted the police, which was long under the control of the Rhee government, and the ruling Democratic Party lost public support after long factional fighting. Against this backdrop of social instability and division, Major General Park formed
6318-524: Was the youngest of five brothers and two sisters. He was of the Goryeong Park clan [ ko ] . Park's family was extremely poor and consistently lacked food. According to Park, his father was upper-class ( yangban ) and set to inherit the family's moderate holdings, but the clan banished him after he participated in the 1894–95 Donghak Peasant Revolution . In 1916, the elder Park moved to his wife's village of Sangmo-dong, where he
6399-473: Was to open the following year. However, he was three years over the maximum age limit of 19 for candidates; he wrote a request for the admissions office to overlook his age, but was rejected. Park sought out Kang Chaeho, an ethnic Korean captain in the Manchukuo Army and a native of Daegu, for advice. Kang offered to use his connections to try and get an exception for Park. He also advised Park to swear
6480-404: Was two years old, he crawled off a raised floor and landed in a smouldering fire pit. He was quickly rescued from the pit, but his forearms were significantly burned. For the rest of his life, he reportedly intentionally wore shirts with long sleeves to hide his scars. A significant biographer of Park, Cho Gab-je , interviewed many people who knew him and got the impression that Park's childhood
6561-421: Was when rock music came closest to the mainstream of Korean pop music, with rock bands often being at the top of music ranking programs aired by public television and radio. In the 1980s, one of the reasons rock music became more popular than in the past was that censorship was somewhat eased compared to the Park Chung Hee administration. Rock music was revived in the early 1990s with democratization following
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