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A coup against himself, not because he lost, but because he didn't win as much as he thought he should. A guy who literally would not take YES for an answer.
You should know that there were still pro communist sentiments among Korean People and also North Korea sent troops to the south to overthrow the democratic government. So you should know Kim dae Jung and Kim Young Sam both are plagued by pro communist subordinates. It is impossible to pass the power to the opposite party.
Even now, talking about Park Chung-hee is a very sensitive political topic in Korea. But what his supporters and haters alike agree on is that Park Chung-hee is one of the most important figures in Korean modern history. Personally, I think he was a necessary evil, and it is clear that without him, Korea would still be a poor agricultural society.
@@whoareyouyouareclearlylost323 Everyone has a different opinion, so I respect your opinion. However, it is true that Park Chung-hee is an indispensable and important figure in Korean modern history.
@@PLUTONIUM1228 Yes, he is a an important figure in S.Korean development into the future, but his atrocities is just so horrible that I cannot agree on anything positive he might have done.
@@whoareyouyouareclearlylost323 but without this horrible dictator park chung hee, Korea would become poor. Think about this, would you rather to choose democratic elected president but corrupt or you choose horrible dictator who wants to build your nation and didn't corrupt. Park chung hee's predecessor Yun po seon is corrupt. Under him, south Korea face political crisis, economic problem and crime rate was high. South korean even demanded him to reform politic and economy. Also, many South korean began to think about reunification with north under his leadership. Show that South korean were discontent with democratic leader yun po seon . So Think who's better. Park chung hee or his predecessor Yun po seon?
When I was station in Korea in 2017 I would talk to Vietnam war vets. My favorite cab drivers were vets and some of the volunteers at the soup kitchen I volunteered at. Over time they opened up more and talked about the reasons why some of the Vietnamese feared them and would avoid confrontation with the Blue Dragons. Some spoke on the reasons why they fought; it paid way more then normal military service, they truly hated commies, a few understood the economic aspect of it and knew supporting the US would help grow their economy and make getting a better job easier (the guys who said that worked for the chaebols). Most of them felt their contribution during that period helped make Korea the economic powerhouse it is today, but sadly they feel forgotten. Some of the current Korean Soldiers I worked with barely knew anything about this period of Korean history.
Thanks for coming to Korea, I hope your stay wasn't too harsh. From my parents, what you are saying is true. My father have told me that the Korean troops who went to Vietnam were paid up to 40 times their normal salary and were lead by Korean war veterans who due to the massive volunteering, got to pick and choose, in some case hand picked. I was told that competition to volunteer was extremely fierce, which looking at the economy at the time I can imagine, but apparently it was more intense than whatever I was thinking of. There were also extreme hate of the commies, especially as Nork covert military incursions were happening at the same period as the Vietnam War. So Korea was both fighting small scale skirmishes with the North while also having our best troops in Vietnam. The sending of troops to Vietnam was undoubtedly had some hand in helping Korea's economy, there were also stories of how the troops sent there were also ordered to 'lose' their M16 rifles and bring it back to Korea so that they can be copied by the local MIC, but I don't have much details of that. Regardless I think it was wildly known at the time that Korea sending troops to Vietnam was part gratitude, part anti-communism, but also a mercenary force who's actions can be considered deniable. Unfortunately, this is third and fourth hand info and as such should be under scrutiny, but I was informed that Korean troops were used to conduct search and destroy even if it is war crimes. That is bad and should be addressed if we want to mature further as a society.
@@Mariner797 the normal salary was $40 USD/month… and people have the audacity to say that Koreans have been privileged throughout history and “barely struggled”
베트남전 때문에 한국이 발전했다는 주장은 허구임. 베트남 전 때 일본은 한국보다 7배나 더 많은 돈을 벌었다. 한국이 발전한 계기는 중동 특수 때문이었다. 80년대초부터 40도가 넘는 날씨에 한국인 노동자들이 쿠웨이트, UAE, 사우디에서 벌어들인 달러가 한국 발전의 초석이 되었다. 미국이 한국을 도와 발전했다는 주장은 허구임. 밀가루로 발전하는데는 한계가 뚜렷하다. 참고로 미국이 한국에 지원한 규모는 아프가니스탄에 지원한 금액의 10분이 1이다. 정확한 데이터에 기반할 때 비로소 설득력이 있을 것이다.
My grandfather was a participant in the coup. He was a one star general in the ROK and served with Park in Manchuria. He wrote a letter to my grandmother in case of his death. I’d owe my existence and life in the USA to him participating in the coup.
It would be great to see videos about West Germany for example the Ohnesorg crisis, the Munich Olympics, the Guillaume crisis, Willy Brandts "Ostpolitik“, the Landshut crisis or the RAF.
Yep. It's interesting to notice that West Germany's policy of post-WW2 demilitarization was exactly what led Munich Olympics 1972 tragedy to happen. West German committees relaxed theif security measufrs around the athlete's compunds during the olympics to present a more "civil" image of Germany.. and when the kidnapping began, West Germany was so caught off guard that its police forces & armed forces couldn't handle the crisis effectively.
I once asked a South Korean what he thought of Park. (Park was still in power) He said, "I think he is very, capable". Thanks for another excellent documentary.
I once asked an American what he thought of Reagan (Reagan was still in power). He said, “I think he is very, capable.” Thanks for another excellent comment
For all his faults, Park saved Republic of Korea. Something a lot of RoK citizens can remember but not very well known outside. Even Kim Il Sung had to deal with him in secret starting in the late 60s.
He had huge issues no doubt, but I dont think anyone can argue against the effects of his policy. Which is why his legacy is so mixed, though the division appear to be primarily down age groups.
Park Chung Hee hammered together the steel frame work of the Korean economic machine, and laid the foundation for the economic miracle that followed. He marshalled the resources of foreign investment and support to make the leap possible. Park Chung Hee was a patriot, and not a self-aggrandizing dictator as was common in other dictatorships in history.
@@georgehunter2813 I won’t be the judge of his patriotism, but although he saved South Korea from poverty and jump started it’s economy and rise to world power, a LOT of the systematic issues found in Korea today (which will eventually cripple the country - ex. extremely low birth rates) originate from his uniquely Korean capitalistic model.
@@georgehunter2813 He is a rarity for sure, which is why people today still have mixed feelings of him. Of course, his daughter went out and shit on her father's legacy, though honestly considering everything she went through, she should have been kept far away from politics as possible.
For movies, I very much recommend "The President's Last Bang"/그때 그사람들. It's a black comedy that dramatizes the plot assassination, and immediate events after Park Chung-hee's death. For something fictional and comedic, there's "The President's Barber"/효자동 이발사, starring Song Kang-ho (Mr. Kim in Parasite) as a Forrest Gump-like barber who's family benefit and later suffer from Park's regime.
@@rickster578 this movie reflects KCIA director Kim's will more accurately but some of the motives and actions of certain character is a biy overly dramatized imo.
Don't watch the movies for they're heavily biased if not outright slanderous. SK has had serious problems of communist infiltration and subversion directed by NK. The commie leftists have a big presence in the country and they keep pumping out these anti Park propaganda movies. Park was a good man, great president and patriot. All true Koreans love the man.
In December 1972 I flew out to Pusan, South Korea to sign on the USNS Upsher. She was a troop ship that carried ROK Army Soldiers back and forth to Viet Nam. Those were some interesting (and dangerous) times.
History being different shades of gray is a very important statement when it comes to Park Chung Hee. Undoubtedly he is to be credited with a good part of South Korean economic success but at the same time his regime brutally suppressed any and all opposition and a lot of South Korea's current problems can be traced back to policies that were enacted under his reign. It's also not easy to assess exactly how much damage was caused because dissent was crushed back then and history text books were rewritten under the presidency of his daughter Park Guen Hye. Keep in mind that even American sources from that era are unlikely to have been unbiased as the Americans had a vested interest in a stable South Korea.
Yep, the US had an active role in propping up Park's regime and helping him stay in power. They cut him loose when his antics became unbearable for the population and was starting to lose even his most ardent supporters. The fact his daughter was elected so many years after his rule is a testament to the power of persuasion, stifling of dissent and propaganda he could muster with the help of the US.
Kind of reminds me of pinochet Was he a brutal dictator? Yes, absolutely, did his economic reforms help Chile become one of the few countries in the region to escape poverty? Also true Im not advocating for dictatorships, history shows they are more often than not, absolutely terrible, but every now and then you have gray situations Another example currently is Paul Kagame in Rwanda
@@joseaca1010 But, Mr.Park was elected by vote. He gain a power by changing constitution, which was also introduced by vote on UN oveservations. People supported him, and feared other politicians, which were North SPY.
"The dissents were crushed back then & history textbooks were re-written in favor of him". Well this happens in Republic of Korea. Imagine what far worse happened during decades of Kim dynasty's rule in North Korea, Mao Zedong rule in P.R.China until today, Marcos era in Philippines, Pol Pot in Cambodia (and his successor Hun Sen), Indonesia during Sukarno & Suharto dictatorship, etc?
Interestingly enough, I learned martial arts from Grand Master Sun-hwan Chung. He was very involved in training South Vietnamese and US forces in Vietnam. He is a great, kind man who helped me be a better person. 🇰🇷
Thank you for the qood-quality subtitles by the way! It's really nice you include these for us non-native English-speakers, it helps very much with understanding narration, although that too is done very well here. You should start a class "how do I make a good-quality video" or something hehe. Regards, Thomas
Park Chung-Hee was no saint but without him, 2023 South Korea would be the Philippines at best, Burma at worse. He's underrated, doesn't get the attention of other 20th Century Revolutionaries like Gamal Abdel Nasser or Fidel Castro- who are overrated and left a mess of their countries. Rwanda President Paul Kagame inspired by Park Chung Hee.
The RoK’s troops performed extremely well in the Vietnam conflict. The areas under their control had the lowest level of PLF activity. That aside, there are multiple reports of their poor relations with the ARVN, fuelled by both ethnic tensions and frustration with the ARVN’s comparative passivity in dealing with the Communists.
A shit ton of war rape and massacres against civilians probably was a cause for those poor relations. Given that the ARVN couldn't protect South Vietnamese civilians from ROK soldiers, and that Saigon invited foreign soldiers to plunder their country; probably didn't help legitimize them in the eyes of the locals.
As a second-generation Latino American immigrant, I would like to suggest that you and your crew make a video about the 1969 Soccer/Football War between El Salvador and Honduras, as well as the Salvadoran Civil War of the late 1970s, and the entirety of the 1980s. The Civil War is an event that my mother was born into and grew up during. Fortunately, the violence of the war did not occur in her area.
@@racudo1898 lmfao gtfo. shit load of countries receive aid from developed countries but not all achieve what South Korea has in the same amount of time. nice try hater. btw the US got it's money's worth and then some with South Korea.
@@racudo1898 Rather, it's Park. US support was important too but great leaders like Seungman Rhee and Park were important people who made Korea into what it is today.
@@racudo1898 If US money had been the most important factor, then Afghanistan, which received multiple times more dollars than Korea, would have been more prosperous than Korea. It's the leadership, policy, and institutions that matter the most.
6:38 In the long run, John F. Kennedy did a good job for SKorea. but He didnt know anything about how to build a democratic state from scratch. Just making a constitution and voting doesn't make a democratic society. At the time, Korea was extremely poor, and public education had been disrupted by the Japanese Empire for decades. In this chaotic situation, Democracy is vulnerable to mob justice and corruption. At that time, the United States explained democracy too ideologically to third world countries, and many third world countries were confused. President Park Chung-hee very well understood the contradiction of the United States well. Although he was a dictator, he was building a system to make Korea a democratic country and completed the modern Korean constitution.
If it was not because of patriotism and what you call "dictatorship" of general Park, South Korea was not where it is now. Park Chung-hee was one the greatest leaders in modern history. He transformed a failed nation into a modern, determined, and agile one. May he rest in peace
Agile? It's got the lowest birthrate in east Asia, horrible demographics, and unaffordable housing. It's the very definition of sclerotic. It may have been agile in the past, but those days are long gone.
@Merle Langlois Yes, Agile! Their society as a whole is Agile. If you read more instead of constantly objecting, you might figure out why their birthrate is so low. People in South Korea work 55 to 65 hrs/week. Nearly twice as much as Europe (exculding North), Brazil, or Russia! Further, some women in formerly traditionalist Oriental countries (e.g., Japan or S.Korea) prefer to work and live their lives instead of becoming housewives or mothers. Additionally, family sizes have declined, just like nearly everywhere else. The U.S., Canada, and Australia are exceptions, as birth rates in nearly all advanced economies have declined over the past couple of decades, and it will probably decline further. At least in S.Korea, people have a good reason (the nation prioritizes working).
@@Merle1987 South Korea is overpopulated and the work culture causes low birth rates. The solution for millions of South Koreans to migrate to anglo countries so that the host country have a stable amount of space.
May 16 coup, it's like Park was well aware of what happened in Tokyo back in his younger days. Chaebol's Chinese characters are the same as the ones for the Japanese zaibatsu. Basically South Korean chaebols today are the closest thing to a modern day zaibatsu. Imagine had the Americans never dissolve the zaibatsus. Both Koreas are still in a ceasefire, the longest one ever in history and the war is still considered as ongoing.
Yup, some people consider him a military dictator who continued oppression against anyone against his administration, but others consider him a hero who saved the nation's economy into competitive one global stage. If you ask me I think its both tbh.
He is most responsible for economic development of South korea, it would be a very different country if park never rose to power however he was as oppressive as north korea regime. He banned music, forced hair cuts, imprisoned suspected communists, did not allow citizens to leave the country, etc... To me he was a necessary evil, the right man for the job but needed to go once he achieved his ambitions.
While in the Navy in the early 1980s, I made a port call to Busan and took a bus to Seoul. Great port call. It's wasn't until a couple of decades+ later while teaching in Korea as a civilian that I realized actual democracy didn't come to the ROK until the late 1980s, It felt kinda creepy, really. But, what the hell, I've got the NATO Cold War medal, so I guess it's okay?
I have just found this channel and love it. The content is amazing in breadth and so interesting. I can think of dozens of ideas for the channel. I’d love to one on how the young of the ussr felt about western culture in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.
Yes he knew this friend kim jae gyu who was head of the KCIA (korean cia) for a long time. Park was serving in the japanese imperial army in Manchuria when ww2 ended. After independence, park met Kim Jae Gyu in 1946 at the military academy as classmates. They rose up the ranks together and were close friends until shooting park in 1979.
Marcos of the Philippines tried to take chapters from Park Chung-hee's book. But the big difference was that Marcos's cronies were too greedy, and corruption was rife at all levels.
Remember, you could be worse or a communist during this time and still side with the U.S and tell them that you're against the Soviet Union, and the U.S. would maybe have supported you. For example, Thailand, Philippines, South Korea, Iraq, and South Africa, etc
@@justinkim7756 Yeah, rather, it suits him to be told 'if you don't know the precise history, don't try to say sth about it until you are sure about it.'
한국어 자막도 있었으면 좋겠습니다. I hope there are Korean subtitles! I don't know English, so I don't know what it's about, but thank you for dealing with modern and contemporary Korean history
This is daunting. So much battle, and too many notions of Honour. Philosophy baked in monotonous information interchange. I'm breathless thank you for taking on this workload.
No… Koreans are just naturally hardest working ppl in the world. Wherever Koreans goes USA Russia Central Asia etc.. Koreans always succced.. the richest person in Japan and khazakstan is ethically korean. You telling me all other Koreans became successful because they all had leader like park Chung hee? No… Park Chung is just a greedy dictator…
@@auspicious3588 How is he not brutal. Under his reign, human rights and freedom of speech are non existing. He ordered his army to captured, tortured and killed anyone who dare to opposed him and stand in his way. If he hated someone, he would accused them communist spies/sympathizers and had their existence erased from the face of the earth. People under his reign have to work 12 hours a day and are very low paid. They are being forced to work day and night but they can't do anything or even complain because they afraid to got shot. Park is a true dictotor, a brutal one for sure but he's the nesessary evil who got the jobs done and laid the foundation for Korea to become the Asian Tiger today.
back in the 50s, 60s and 70s, the North Korea looked much more like the good guy than the South, even economy was far ahead ironically how things have changed now
Hmmm, a guy with dictatorial ambitions but which are born of seemingly truly wanting to just help his country grow. I think I like this guy. Need more info though before I say if I truly do. Please do a video on Operation Paul Bunyan. The most American US military operation during the Cold War.
During the Vietnam War, the U.S. paid the Korean military Private 2nd class a salary of $200, but the soldier actually received only $100.( In 1965, when South Korea's per capita GDP was less than $120, the monthly salary of $100 was huge for South Koreans.) Park Chung-hee took a salary of $100 per soldier and made a secret fund of more than $100 million to the Swiss Bank at that time, which caused the Korea Gate incident in the United States in 1976. And after Park Chung-hee was assassinated, the Swiss bank's secret funds disappeared. A secret fund worth more than $10 billion now. Currently, many Koreans think that if it had been used for the economic growth of Park Chung-hee's secret funds, it would have become a country with a much higher economic power than the current Republic of Korea.
The US government did not trust Park Chung Hee at first and considered staging the US-backed counter-coup against his military committee, because it thought he was a communist. Park Chung Hee was once a member of one of the communist parties in Korea, "The Workers' Party of South Korea". His role was to infiltrate communists in the Korean military and he was a part of the party's conspiracy to overthrow Syngman Rhee's regime. He was eventually caught in 1948 and was very close to being sentenced to death, but his sentence was reduced because he provided the police a list of party members who were yet caught. Because of this record, and his government-led economic scheme(which resembled much of socialist economic policy), the US feared that his intention was to turn South Korea into a socialist state. During the early years of his reign, Park had to prove himself to the people and the US that he was not a communist by harshly oppressing communists in South Korea.
As a Korean fan of your channel, I really enjoyed watching your video covering the long era of the dictatorship of postwar Korean society. After you make videos regarding the Fourth Republic of Korea(Park's third and last term) as you mentioned, I hope to watch another one that deals with Chun Doo-hwan's reign, who seized power after Park's death and brutally suppressed the demands for democratization in the city of Gwangju.
*One of the most controversial characters in modern Korean history!* Many conservative party supporters always visit to worship his hometown and grave with related politicians. In all previous presidential and general elections, 12 million of Gyeongsang Province voted Overwhelmingly for the Conservative Party due to inheriting the Legacy of Park Chung-hee. Among all politicians, his daughter 'Park-Geun-Hye' stood center of remuneration, and led the party to victory in all elections until 2016. Because old generations(Aged 60, 70, 80 years old) felt the nostalgia of the high growth period that existed in the 1970s and have strong faith in the direction of politics from based who Park Chung-hee's leadership 50 years ago. His regime progressed two systems of economic development & dictatorship during the 18 years, and his core forces 'Central Intelligence Agency & Korean Army' has a duty the surveillance and oppression civil society. Due to blocking any voice of citizens, the individual issue of Vietnam War Soldier Victims or soldier death became buried thoroughly, and compensation for comfort women and forced labor issues. His economic development was preceded by 'personal sacrifice', and it became a political target from the democratic party. Ironically, what ended his 18-year dictatorship was not the uprising of citizens but the economic crisis caused by the second oil shock.
These are fantastic pieces of the puzzle which is History. [ ….and I like his comments about “liking, subscribing and hitting the bell” - always just a bit of good humor]. 📻🙂
I spent 12 years fighting the military rule when I was in my 20s. I got more and more radicalized and ended up becoming a hard-core Marx-Leninist, at least .with regard to theory. However, I have never despised Park or his successor Chun. It is a great luck that your foe is a strong and respectable man. Park was a great character. He used to be a communist and was almost executed. He literally invented the export-driven growth model. He betted on heavy and petrochemical industries from the early 70s. He implemented the VAT for transparency in 1977, which was a political suicide. He began the change from a government-driven economy to market- driven in 1979, which was another political suicide. A dictator who preferred transparency and fair market? Korea in 1979 is comparable to China in 1990 in terms of personal GDP. Rhee and Park were great leader. I was lucky to spend 12 years fighting Park and his successor lest my country turn into a corrupt military junta's playground. They more than deserve my youth.
I mean 2 coups in around 30 years is not bad It was quite stable and actually improved the economy Look at how Argentina and many other military dictatorships took down their country South Korea is acutally on the lucky side
If you look at history alone, South Korea has all the characteristics of becoming another dictatorship. There's a saying that even North Koreans had a better economy than their brothers in the South at one point. That all changed in the 90s with increase in democracy and economy. I'm no expert in Korean affairs but I can say that they are indeed on the lucky side considering other countries that are in similar path like South Korea ended up destroying itself. Just my viewpoint.
@@wongjimmy3189 No, just the opposite.. It is very far from the type of dictatorship that is commonly seen. He shunned his relatives and did not accumulate personal wealth, and it's a well-known story that at the time of his death, his belt was worn out and was wearing holed socks. Everything that speaks of modern Korea's economic growth was created in his time. It was also during his time that he foresaw and succeeded in the steel industry in which they could exist, apart from chaebols such as Samsung, LG, and Hyundai. It was also his philosophy that built a highway that overcame all opposition and still operates as the blood vessel of the economy. It is no exaggeration to say that all the legacy of Korea that exists today belongs to him. The indicators North Korea claimed after the war are difficult to prove and are close to fiction. It may seem that North Korea is better off because of the Soviet support and infrastructure left over from the Japanese colonial era, but according to defectors, the reality was very different. There are still too many naysayers who want to bring him down. Don't blindly trust them and check the objective indicators.
The economic development of East Asian countries such as Korea, China, Japan, and Taiwan is not a coincidence. They were a highly developed region that had flourished brilliant culture, ideology, and philosophy since the days of ancient states, and operated a centralized state through a thorough rule of law and bureaucracy based on secularism. It is true that Park Chung-hee accelerated the pace of Korea's economic development by several decades, but considering various historical and cultural circumstances, it was inevitable that Korea would leap forward into a developed country.
@@robertortiz-wilson1588 their cultures are inherently rooted in respect, discipline, hard work, being learned, and seizing good opportunities. Of course it was inevitable.
@@robertortiz-wilson1588 there are so many things that would have all had to go so wrong in order for the Asian Economic Miracle to not have been inevitable.
Japan: Tries to carve out its sphere of influence in Asia by force, gets nuked Japan: "Well, guess let's be business partners then"... doing a deep bow of respect while prepairing anime soft power subversion campaign in the background to get them all hooked
He did what he had to do for a nation that had barely any resources, a nation as cold, barren and war-stricken as it was to become as wealthy and culturally relevant as it is today. Democracy is slow and one wrong regime can turn back the clocks of progress several years even decades. Not glorifying it but nearly if not all of the 4 Asian tiger nations were this wealthy and significant today arguably because there were direct rule from the top at one point or another post WWII. What comes after, naturally, is what those governments of today will have to admit, address and tackle. Great set of post-Korean war content here!
Well, when you have direct help from the US as a showcase to counter the other half (which in the contrary goes full autarkic fescenending into Juche madness) it may be easier.
Just one correction, the word 'chaebol' is not pronounced as 'chai-bol', but rather as 'che-ball'. But otherwise, this was a very informative and enjoyable video.
@@Pau_Pau9 Pronouncing it as 'che-bol' isn't wrong, it's just that 'che-ball' is my preferred pronunciation. However there is a right way to pronounce the first syllable of 'chaebol'.
I always surmised that president park had a genius level I q . His coup for instance could have failed. But he secured all departments so that it would not. On the other hand , his offspring who also became president failed miserably. I suppose she could not overcome all her political enemies.
It's not coup it never was. It was revolution that changed all south koreans lives for far better. If you doubt my words then look at north korea. Countless poeple in north died of famine. and people in south worry about diet nowadays.
Park Chung-hee and Jeon Doo-hwan: The first step in Korea's attempt to become independent in the field of nuclear weapons/weapons The final stage. And at the same time, it was the worst time for relations with the United States and the worst time for democracy in the Republic of Korea. On the contrary, North Korea was developing nuclear weapons the earliest days.
- But didn't Park Chung-hee's relationship with the U.S. deteriorate due to his attempts to develop nuclear weapons at that time? South Korea fought in the Vietnam War at the request of the United States for 10 years. Korea used it as a "seed money " for economic development, including the Saemaul Movement with foreign currency obtained from the United States through the Vietnam War. However, another reason for Korea's participation in the Vietnam War was that if Vietnam collapsed, communism spread like dominoes, and Korea was also considered dangerous. But when I came to Korea in 1973, the U.S. troops withdrew from Vietnam. Park Chung-hee began to lose faith in the alliance with the United States by watching this. This is why he started developing nuclear weapons." - Was the nuclear development attempt the main cause of the deterioration of Korea-U.S. relations at the time? "Of course. I sent 300,000 people to Vietnam," Park Chung-hee said. But I can't trust America. He would have thought, 'We must protect ourselves.'." - When did Park Chung-hee start developing nuclear weapons? "It's about 1972." - Did America know that right away? "No," - When did you find out? "It's 1973." - How did you find out? "That's hard to say." - So what did you do? "We stopped it (Nuclear weapons. I reported Korea's nuclear development to my home country and the U.S. government demanded that it stop very carefully." - How did you persuade Park Chung-hee? We reaffirmed that we will protect the South against any attack from the North and therefore that the South does not need to have nuclear weapons." During a 2011 interview with Donald Gregg, general manager of the CIA's Korean branch in the 1970s and U.S. Ambassador to Korea in 1989-1993
North Korea established the Nuclear Physics Research Institute in 1955 and signed a nuclear agreement with the Soviet Union in 1956. In 1962, the Soviet Union brought in IRT-2000, a research reactor. This was four years after the Soviet Union first developed the IRT-2000.
The Rhee Syng-man regime signed a nuclear agreement with the United States in 1955, and over the next two to three years, about 120 "nuclear students" were dispatched to the Argonne National Laboratory in the United States. In 1957, Yoon Se-yoon, a professor at Seoul National University who returned from training at the Argon Institute, took office as the head of the nuclear division of the Ministry of Education and Technology, which was established in 1956. In the same year, the Nuclear Power Act was submitted to the National Assembly and passed in 58 years, and in 1959, the Nuclear Power Institute and the Nuclear Research Institute were established. In 1962, after the resignation of the Rhee Syng-man regime, Korea's first nuclear reactor, "Triga Mk. 2," was brought in.
Back then, South Korea chose the way of surviving instead of being starved. Because the leader Yun didn't know how to develop the nation's futuristic economy to rescue poor people. So the protagonist of the coup Park built the national economy & its development plans for the first time to be a better country. Thereby, SAMSUNG, Hyundai, LG, and other major companies could build their business basis to raise Korea's economy through the central government's political support. So lots of poor Koreans could obtain their jobs to feed themselves & family members, moreover, most Koreans praised Park's effective economic schedules except for a few democratic activists. Furthermore, he decided to join the Vietnam War because the US administration & its leader Kennedy demanded the South Korean army should join the war, and if don't the US army in South Korea would leave to dispatch the Vietnam War. At the time, South Korea does not have any other options to dodge the offer from the US, so had to follow America's order. From 1965 to 1973, a total of 500,0000 Korean soldiers went to the Vietnam War to fight against the communist side NVA, VC guys, and the reason is to protect Vietnam's democracy. After ending of the war, the US government gave South Korea modernized infantry weapons like M-16 & M60 machine guns to improve the Korean army's combat capabilities. In 1969, the Korean Republic could boost its national economic plans based on America's final support. But that was final and no more support for Korea because the US had to support other underdevelopment nations in Latin America or Africa. Thus, South Korea had to feed its people through its efforts without America's economic backup since 1969.
So ... the occupation of South Korea by the Japanese Imperial Army ended only in 1979? And people still think the Korean War was about capitalism vs communism ...
its funny to think that between 1953 and 1987 neither NK & SK had democracy, and freedom while under military Rule (SK til 87 while NK is yet to be seen) Park also followed line of NK that was the Hair Style Regime cuz once he came to power many Hair Styles wore Outlawed, Banned and had to be cut Both Men n women btw. Also Japan helped SK in the industrial areas of Korea like Steel Mills n Naval shipyards by Funding the work n send workers to help them as a sort of compensation from Japan colonial rule 1910-45. Also workers worent allow no excuses just like they didnt have rights but with one thing about Park was this: If he felt the Construction was below standart he had it Blown up/Tore it down and Start Again also they worked so fast that accidents wore frequent. and
A symbolic modern leader who brought about unprecedented growth in world history, called the Han River Miracle.. Due to the nature of the region in confrontation with North Korea, there are still many North Korean followers and leftists in South Korea. Like the divided Germany of the past Democracy is a luxury for the hungry. 95% of people in the Joseon Dynasty before Japanese colonization were almost like slaves. Not to mention illiteracy. It is not as easy as it sounds to transform uncivilized people who have not changed even after liberation into modern people. Korea was liberated in 1945. The Korean War that broke out in 1950 ended in 1953 and there was nothing left in south. Park came to power in 1961 just after 8years end the war. Who the hell can say democracy here? Tell me just one person if there was like restored the war that ended in '53 and achieved what he accomplished in less than 20 years from '61 to '79.. There are too many opponents in Korea who don't like talking about the miracle he accomplished. Even here, there are many people who do not know anything about the situation at the time and like to speak easily by substituting the current standard. Still, opponents portray him as a brutal murderer. In the circumstances of the times and in the local context, what he did was directed at political opponents, not ordinary people. It was a time when an armed spy was attempting an assassination attempt, and a time when an invasion was attempted by digging a tunnel. If he had been indecisive and unable to make such a decision at the time, it would have rather harmed ordinary people. I just hope you do not believe the instigation of leftists in Korea who oppose him and make your own judgment. You just need to know that the leader that North Korea feared the most was Park.
I will never forget when I was teaching English in South Korea in the early 2000s, and happened to observe a pro-North Korea, anti-USA demonstration by ahistorical students at and around Busan Station. Laughable. The police actually asked me to leave, as I suspect they didn't want me to see that. I am an American. But I behaved myself and held my tongue and later spoke with a (South Korean) Korean War vet, obviously an older gentleman, who was the only other person in the area who didn't understand what the students were doing, or why.
Modern Korea owes everything to Park Chung Hee. Everything he did makes sense if you understand that he loved his country and did everything possible to build up a very poor country and defend it against another invasion. If Korea was led by the group of weak, self-serving leaders since his death, then South Korea would still be a very poor country, or more likely, have fallen to the North (in the 70's).
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nice. can you also feature the former south vietnam until it's end? thank you.
Next time
About this Rhee syng man make upload!
If that's The Pepsi Country, there needs to be A Coca-Cola Country
A coup against himself, not because he lost, but because he didn't win as much as he thought he should. A guy who literally would not take YES for an answer.
😂😂 "A guy who would not take yes for an answer".
Exactly how I would have put it... Had I thought of it first.😂
He wanted "Yass Daddy" written on all ballots.😂
Best comment I've read in a long time. 🤣
You should know that there were still pro communist sentiments among Korean People and also North Korea sent troops to the south to overthrow the democratic government. So you should know Kim dae Jung and Kim Young Sam both are plagued by pro communist subordinates. It is impossible to pass the power to the opposite party.
"Look, Park, you still won. Just try playing nice and wine and dine the assembly like a normal person instead of being a sore winner."
*"No."*
Extra! Extra! South Korean president tries another 1980s!
Even now, talking about Park Chung-hee is a very sensitive political topic in Korea. But what his supporters and haters alike agree on is that Park Chung-hee is one of the most important figures in Korean modern history. Personally, I think he was a necessary evil, and it is clear that without him, Korea would still be a poor agricultural society.
I get what you are saying, but I don't agree on that statement.
I agree
@@whoareyouyouareclearlylost323 Everyone has a different opinion, so I respect your opinion. However, it is true that Park Chung-hee is an indispensable and important figure in Korean modern history.
@@PLUTONIUM1228 Yes, he is a an important figure in S.Korean development into the future, but his atrocities is just so horrible that I cannot agree on anything positive he might have done.
@@whoareyouyouareclearlylost323 but without this horrible dictator park chung hee, Korea would become poor. Think about this, would you rather to choose democratic elected president but corrupt or you choose horrible dictator who wants to build your nation and didn't corrupt. Park chung hee's predecessor Yun po seon is corrupt. Under him, south Korea face political crisis, economic problem and crime rate was high. South korean even demanded him to reform politic and economy. Also, many South korean began to think about reunification with north under his leadership. Show that South korean were discontent with democratic leader yun po seon . So Think who's better. Park chung hee or his predecessor Yun po seon?
When I was station in Korea in 2017 I would talk to Vietnam war vets. My favorite cab drivers were vets and some of the volunteers at the soup kitchen I volunteered at. Over time they opened up more and talked about the reasons why some of the Vietnamese feared them and would avoid confrontation with the Blue Dragons. Some spoke on the reasons why they fought; it paid way more then normal military service, they truly hated commies, a few understood the economic aspect of it and knew supporting the US would help grow their economy and make getting a better job easier (the guys who said that worked for the chaebols).
Most of them felt their contribution during that period helped make Korea the economic powerhouse it is today, but sadly they feel forgotten. Some of the current Korean Soldiers I worked with barely knew anything about this period of Korean history.
1) Thank you for your service sir and...
2) Thank you for sharing their stories to an English speaking audience.
Thanks for coming to Korea, I hope your stay wasn't too harsh. From my parents, what you are saying is true. My father have told me that the Korean troops who went to Vietnam were paid up to 40 times their normal salary and were lead by Korean war veterans who due to the massive volunteering, got to pick and choose, in some case hand picked. I was told that competition to volunteer was extremely fierce, which looking at the economy at the time I can imagine, but apparently it was more intense than whatever I was thinking of.
There were also extreme hate of the commies, especially as Nork covert military incursions were happening at the same period as the Vietnam War. So Korea was both fighting small scale skirmishes with the North while also having our best troops in Vietnam.
The sending of troops to Vietnam was undoubtedly had some hand in helping Korea's economy, there were also stories of how the troops sent there were also ordered to 'lose' their M16 rifles and bring it back to Korea so that they can be copied by the local MIC, but I don't have much details of that. Regardless I think it was wildly known at the time that Korea sending troops to Vietnam was part gratitude, part anti-communism, but also a mercenary force who's actions can be considered deniable. Unfortunately, this is third and fourth hand info and as such should be under scrutiny, but I was informed that Korean troops were used to conduct search and destroy even if it is war crimes. That is bad and should be addressed if we want to mature further as a society.
@@Mariner797 the normal salary was $40 USD/month… and people have the audacity to say that Koreans have been privileged throughout history and “barely struggled”
as a korean thx for ur service
베트남전 때문에 한국이 발전했다는 주장은 허구임. 베트남 전 때 일본은 한국보다 7배나 더 많은 돈을 벌었다. 한국이 발전한 계기는 중동 특수 때문이었다. 80년대초부터 40도가 넘는 날씨에 한국인 노동자들이 쿠웨이트, UAE, 사우디에서 벌어들인 달러가 한국 발전의 초석이 되었다. 미국이 한국을 도와 발전했다는 주장은 허구임. 밀가루로 발전하는데는 한계가 뚜렷하다. 참고로 미국이 한국에 지원한 규모는 아프가니스탄에 지원한 금액의 10분이 1이다. 정확한 데이터에 기반할 때 비로소 설득력이 있을 것이다.
My grandfather was a participant in the coup. He was a one star general in the ROK and served with Park in Manchuria. He wrote a letter to my grandmother in case of his death. I’d owe my existence and life in the USA to him participating in the coup.
@foolscrowstudio Chad grandpa
It would be great to see videos about West Germany for example the Ohnesorg crisis, the Munich Olympics, the Guillaume crisis, Willy Brandts "Ostpolitik“, the Landshut crisis or the RAF.
But 1972 Munich Olympics attack
Yep. It's interesting to notice that West Germany's policy of post-WW2 demilitarization was exactly what led Munich Olympics 1972 tragedy to happen. West German committees relaxed theif security measufrs around the athlete's compunds during the olympics to present a more "civil" image of Germany.. and when the kidnapping began, West Germany was so caught off guard that its police forces & armed forces couldn't handle the crisis effectively.
I once asked a South Korean what he thought of Park. (Park was still in power) He said, "I think he is very, capable". Thanks for another excellent documentary.
I once asked an American what he thought of Reagan (Reagan was still in power). He said, “I think he is very, capable.” Thanks for another excellent comment
@@dathunderman4 Rush Limbaugh, the Conservative talk show host, used to refer to Reagan as, "Ronaldus Magnus".
@@dathunderman4he was correct.
The only difference is that, you can criticize Reagan when he was still in power. But you can only criticize Park when he was out of power.
For all his faults, Park saved Republic of Korea. Something a lot of RoK citizens can remember but not very well known outside. Even Kim Il Sung had to deal with him in secret starting in the late 60s.
Huge faults though. Although I will admit that he was not the worst out of the S. Korean dictators
He had huge issues no doubt, but I dont think anyone can argue against the effects of his policy. Which is why his legacy is so mixed, though the division appear to be primarily down age groups.
Park Chung Hee hammered together the steel frame work of the Korean economic machine, and laid the foundation for the economic miracle that followed. He marshalled the resources of foreign investment and support to make the leap possible. Park Chung Hee was a patriot, and not a self-aggrandizing dictator as was common in other dictatorships in history.
@@georgehunter2813 I won’t be the judge of his patriotism, but although he saved South Korea from poverty and jump started it’s economy and rise to world power, a LOT of the systematic issues found in Korea today (which will eventually cripple the country - ex. extremely low birth rates) originate from his uniquely Korean capitalistic model.
@@georgehunter2813 He is a rarity for sure, which is why people today still have mixed feelings of him. Of course, his daughter went out and shit on her father's legacy, though honestly considering everything she went through, she should have been kept far away from politics as possible.
For movies, I very much recommend "The President's Last Bang"/그때 그사람들. It's a black comedy that dramatizes the plot assassination, and immediate events after Park Chung-hee's death.
For something fictional and comedic, there's "The President's Barber"/효자동 이발사, starring Song Kang-ho (Mr. Kim in Parasite) as a Forrest Gump-like barber who's family benefit and later suffer from Park's regime.
Love your handle 🎉.
I'd also recommend "The man standing next" that also deals with the assassination.
So a South Korea's version of "The Death of Stalin". This I gotta see.
@@rickster578 this movie reflects KCIA director Kim's will more accurately but some of the motives and actions of certain character is a biy overly dramatized imo.
Don't watch the movies for they're heavily biased if not outright slanderous. SK has had serious problems of communist infiltration and subversion directed by NK. The commie leftists have a big presence in the country and they keep pumping out these anti Park propaganda movies. Park was a good man, great president and patriot. All true Koreans love the man.
In December 1972 I flew out to Pusan, South Korea to sign on the USNS Upsher. She was a troop ship that carried ROK Army Soldiers back and forth to Viet Nam. Those were some interesting (and dangerous) times.
History being different shades of gray is a very important statement when it comes to Park Chung Hee. Undoubtedly he is to be credited with a good part of South Korean economic success but at the same time his regime brutally suppressed any and all opposition and a lot of South Korea's current problems can be traced back to policies that were enacted under his reign.
It's also not easy to assess exactly how much damage was caused because dissent was crushed back then and history text books were rewritten under the presidency of his daughter Park Guen Hye. Keep in mind that even American sources from that era are unlikely to have been unbiased as the Americans had a vested interest in a stable South Korea.
Yep, the US had an active role in propping up Park's regime and helping him stay in power. They cut him loose when his antics became unbearable for the population and was starting to lose even his most ardent supporters. The fact his daughter was elected so many years after his rule is a testament to the power of persuasion, stifling of dissent and propaganda he could muster with the help of the US.
Current problems were not traced in his era. Current politicians just blamed him with their mistakes...
Kind of reminds me of pinochet
Was he a brutal dictator? Yes, absolutely, did his economic reforms help Chile become one of the few countries in the region to escape poverty? Also true
Im not advocating for dictatorships, history shows they are more often than not, absolutely terrible, but every now and then you have gray situations
Another example currently is Paul Kagame in Rwanda
@@joseaca1010 But, Mr.Park was elected by vote. He gain a power by changing constitution, which was also introduced by vote on UN oveservations. People supported him, and feared other politicians, which were North SPY.
"The dissents were crushed back then & history textbooks were re-written in favor of him". Well this happens in Republic of Korea. Imagine what far worse happened during decades of Kim dynasty's rule in North Korea, Mao Zedong rule in P.R.China until today, Marcos era in Philippines, Pol Pot in Cambodia (and his successor Hun Sen), Indonesia during Sukarno & Suharto dictatorship, etc?
Interestingly enough, I learned martial arts from Grand Master Sun-hwan Chung. He was very involved in training South Vietnamese and US forces in Vietnam. He is a great, kind man who helped me be a better person. 🇰🇷
Thank you for the qood-quality subtitles by the way! It's really nice you include these for us non-native English-speakers, it helps very much with understanding narration, although that too is done very well here. You should start a class "how do I make a good-quality video" or something hehe.
Regards,
Thomas
Needs updating
Park Chung-Hee was no saint but without him, 2023 South Korea would be the Philippines at best, Burma at worse. He's underrated, doesn't get the attention of other 20th Century Revolutionaries like Gamal Abdel Nasser or Fidel Castro- who are overrated and left a mess of their countries. Rwanda President Paul Kagame inspired by Park Chung Hee.
Don't underestimate Koreans
The RoK’s troops performed extremely well in the Vietnam conflict. The areas under their control had the lowest level of PLF activity. That aside, there are multiple reports of their poor relations with the ARVN, fuelled by both ethnic tensions and frustration with the ARVN’s comparative passivity in dealing with the Communists.
A shit ton of war rape and massacres against civilians probably was a cause for those poor relations. Given that the ARVN couldn't protect South Vietnamese civilians from ROK soldiers, and that Saigon invited foreign soldiers to plunder their country; probably didn't help legitimize them in the eyes of the locals.
Cool! I was just talking about a post-Korean War episode on the Koreas during the last live stream.
As a second-generation Latino American immigrant, I would like to suggest that you and your crew make a video about the 1969 Soccer/Football War between El Salvador and Honduras, as well as the Salvadoran Civil War of the late 1970s, and the entirety of the 1980s. The Civil War is an event that my mother was born into and grew up during. Fortunately, the violence of the war did not occur in her area.
It's impressive South Korea ended up where they did considering how rocky the decades after WW2 were for them.
Lots of US money
@@racudo1898 lmfao gtfo. shit load of countries receive aid from developed countries but not all achieve what South Korea has in the same amount of time. nice try hater. btw the US got it's money's worth and then some with South Korea.
@@racudo1898 Rather, it's Park.
US support was important too but great leaders like Seungman Rhee and Park were important people who made Korea into what it is today.
@@yoyoyo7083 what south korea is today = an US puppet with rampant inequality
@@racudo1898 If US money had been the most important factor, then Afghanistan, which received multiple times more dollars than Korea, would have been more prosperous than Korea. It's the leadership, policy, and institutions that matter the most.
6:38 In the long run, John F. Kennedy did a good job for SKorea. but He didnt know anything about how to build a democratic state from scratch. Just making a constitution and voting doesn't make a democratic society. At the time, Korea was extremely poor, and public education had been disrupted by the Japanese Empire for decades. In this chaotic situation, Democracy is vulnerable to mob justice and corruption. At that time, the United States explained democracy too ideologically to third world countries, and many third world countries were confused. President Park Chung-hee very well understood the contradiction of the United States well. Although he was a dictator, he was building a system to make Korea a democratic country and completed the modern Korean constitution.
As a Korean woman from Seoul, thank you very much for going in depth.
nice pfp
If it was not because of patriotism and what you call "dictatorship" of general Park, South Korea was not where it is now.
Park Chung-hee was one the greatest leaders in modern history. He transformed a failed nation into a modern, determined, and agile one. May he rest in peace
Agile? It's got the lowest birthrate in east Asia, horrible demographics, and unaffordable housing. It's the very definition of sclerotic. It may have been agile in the past, but those days are long gone.
@@Merle1987 you can outsource your demographics with immigration but I'm not too sure how well that plan would go down
@Merle Langlois Yes, Agile! Their society as a whole is Agile. If you read more instead of constantly objecting, you might figure out why their birthrate is so low. People in South Korea work 55 to 65 hrs/week. Nearly twice as much as Europe (exculding North), Brazil, or Russia! Further, some women in formerly traditionalist Oriental countries (e.g., Japan or S.Korea) prefer to work and live their lives instead of becoming housewives or mothers. Additionally, family sizes have declined, just like nearly everywhere else. The U.S., Canada, and Australia are exceptions, as birth rates in nearly all advanced economies have declined over the past couple of decades, and it will probably decline further. At least in S.Korea, people have a good reason (the nation prioritizes working).
@@Merle1987 South Korea is overpopulated and the work culture causes low birth rates. The solution for millions of South Koreans to migrate to anglo countries so that the host country have a stable amount of space.
@@alejandromaldonado6159 they're working on it, trust me, I'm seeing an ever growing number of Koreans here in Canada.
May 16 coup, it's like Park was well aware of what happened in Tokyo back in his younger days. Chaebol's Chinese characters are the same as the ones for the Japanese zaibatsu. Basically South Korean chaebols today are the closest thing to a modern day zaibatsu. Imagine had the Americans never dissolve the zaibatsus.
Both Koreas are still in a ceasefire, the longest one ever in history and the war is still considered as ongoing.
That moment when Park couped himself pushs me down the stairs
This was such an interesting episode. I want to see the follow up on this guy.
"The sides of "good" is not always good. And history is shades of grey and rarely black and white."
Good summary of South Korean modern history.
My Korean friends tell me Park Chung-hee is still a very divisive figure in Korea.
Yup, some people consider him a military dictator who continued oppression against anyone against his administration, but others consider him a hero who saved the nation's economy into competitive one global stage.
If you ask me I think its both tbh.
I'm sure he was better than being ruled by the Kim dynasty.
He is most responsible for economic development of South korea, it would be a very different country if park never rose to power however he was as oppressive as north korea regime. He banned music, forced hair cuts, imprisoned suspected communists, did not allow citizens to leave the country, etc...
To me he was a necessary evil, the right man for the job but needed to go once he achieved his ambitions.
@@theawesomeman9821 that's setting the bar very low tbh
basically Stalin of SK
While in the Navy in the early 1980s, I made a port call to Busan and took a bus to Seoul. Great port call. It's wasn't until a couple of decades+ later while teaching in Korea as a civilian that I realized actual democracy didn't come to the ROK until the late 1980s, It felt kinda creepy, really. But, what the hell, I've got the NATO Cold War medal, so I guess it's okay?
I have just found this channel and love it. The content is amazing in breadth and so interesting. I can think of dozens of ideas for the channel. I’d love to one on how the young of the ussr felt about western culture in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.
It was an informative video about the South Korea 🇰🇷 republic ... Thank you for sharing ...good luck and best wishes for (the Cold War) channel
Thanks
Park Chung Hee was killed by his own close friend which is crazy to know.
Yes he knew this friend kim jae gyu who was head of the KCIA (korean cia) for a long time. Park was serving in the japanese imperial army in Manchuria when ww2 ended. After independence, park met Kim Jae Gyu in 1946 at the military academy as classmates. They rose up the ranks together and were close friends until shooting park in 1979.
Then after, his(close frien) families are very rich in USA.
16:25 now I want to learn how & when South Korea established ties with Vietnam after the war
Marcos of the Philippines tried to take chapters from Park Chung-hee's book. But the big difference was that Marcos's cronies were too greedy, and corruption was rife at all levels.
Thank you for making a video about my country.
Can't wait for the Korean DMZ/USS Pueblo episode!
PJH is GOAT
Remember, you could be worse or a communist during this time and still side with the U.S and tell them that you're against the Soviet Union, and the U.S. would maybe have supported you. For example, Thailand, Philippines, South Korea, Iraq, and South Africa, etc
President Park was not a communist. It was communist North Korea that killed him and his wife. President Park was a good leader.
If u can't speak English don't try 😂😂😂
@@justinkim7756 Yeah, rather, it suits him to be told 'if you don't know the precise history, don't try to say sth about it until you are sure about it.'
@yohan7083 lmao he's wrong lmfao iraq wasn't in the 1st world and the soviet union was worse than every single country he named even south Africa 🤣🤣🤣
@@justinkim7756 he mean u can be brutal dictator if you are capitalist and via support u
한국어 자막도 있었으면 좋겠습니다.
I hope there are Korean subtitles!
I don't know English, so I don't know what it's about, but thank you for dealing with modern and contemporary Korean history
try to click on the item n next to the CC. then Click on Automatic Translation and youll see the language options and you will find Hanguk
Very well done episode!!!
This aged like milk
Very interesting, thank You!
This is daunting. So much battle, and too many notions of Honour. Philosophy baked in monotonous information interchange. I'm breathless thank you for taking on this workload.
I ment tedious. Sorry.
President Park Chung-Hee was a one of the greatest leader of Korean history and not just that, he is the South Korea himself.
Park was indeed a brutal dictator but without him, South Korea wouldn't have become an economic powerhouse it is today.
No… Koreans are just naturally hardest working ppl in the world. Wherever Koreans goes USA Russia Central Asia etc.. Koreans always succced.. the richest person in Japan and khazakstan is ethically korean. You telling me all other Koreans became successful because they all had leader like park Chung hee? No…
Park Chung is just a greedy dictator…
He is not brutal
@@auspicious3588 How is he not brutal. Under his reign, human rights and freedom of speech are non existing.
He ordered his army to captured, tortured and killed anyone who dare to opposed him and stand in his way. If he hated someone, he would accused them communist spies/sympathizers and had their existence erased from the face of the earth.
People under his reign have to work 12 hours a day and are very low paid. They are being forced to work day and night but they can't do anything or even complain because they afraid to got shot.
Park is a true dictotor, a brutal one for sure but he's the nesessary evil who got the jobs done and laid the foundation for Korea to become the Asian Tiger today.
He was a brutal dictator. only for communists
South korea wouldnt be economic powerhouse if not US petrodollars.
back in the 50s, 60s and 70s, the North Korea looked much more like the good guy than the South, even economy was far ahead
ironically how things have changed now
Welp Thailand had coups to this day😂
Ain’t wrong m8 hope next election will be a “smooth” one.
The people are not politically active as well so the military steps in all the time
And Kyrgyzstan simply got rid of elections and instead of elections it has a coup every 5 years.
There is an excuse that smooths over all concerns: doing it in the name of the monarchy. #thefrenchhadtherightidea
Myanmar as well...
SE Asian has been a pretty turbulent place
Hmmm, a guy with dictatorial ambitions but which are born of seemingly truly wanting to just help his country grow.
I think I like this guy. Need more info though before I say if I truly do.
Please do a video on Operation Paul Bunyan. The most American US military operation during the Cold War.
Thank you, I had no idea of this.
titanium, respect.
During the Vietnam War, the U.S. paid the Korean military Private 2nd class a salary of $200, but the soldier actually received only $100.( In 1965, when South Korea's per capita GDP was less than $120, the monthly salary of $100 was huge for South Koreans.)
Park Chung-hee took a salary of $100 per soldier and made a secret fund of more than $100 million to the Swiss Bank at that time, which caused the Korea Gate incident in the United States in 1976.
And after Park Chung-hee was assassinated, the Swiss bank's secret funds disappeared.
A secret fund worth more than $10 billion now.
Currently, many Koreans think that if it had been used for the economic growth of Park Chung-hee's secret funds, it would have become a country with a much higher economic power than the current Republic of Korea.
Proof that the Vietnam War was an opportunity for America to make their Asian allies more subordinate to America.
I wonder which "Swiss bank" that was?🤔
Corruption is not important if he is a genius. It is funny that korean blame on him while they live in a rich country because him.
Thank you very much
Cheobul didnt get support from park. Park asked businessmen for help
Appreciate the presenter’s dedication in adopting Kim Jong Un’s haircut for this Korean documentary.
The US government did not trust Park Chung Hee at first and considered staging the US-backed counter-coup against his military committee, because it thought he was a communist.
Park Chung Hee was once a member of one of the communist parties in Korea, "The Workers' Party of South Korea". His role was to infiltrate communists in the Korean military and he was a part of the party's conspiracy to overthrow Syngman Rhee's regime. He was eventually caught in 1948 and was very close to being sentenced to death, but his sentence was reduced because he provided the police a list of party members who were yet caught. Because of this record, and his government-led economic scheme(which resembled much of socialist economic policy), the US feared that his intention was to turn South Korea into a socialist state. During the early years of his reign, Park had to prove himself to the people and the US that he was not a communist by harshly oppressing communists in South Korea.
As a Korean fan of your channel, I really enjoyed watching your video covering the long era of the dictatorship of postwar Korean society. After you make videos regarding the Fourth Republic of Korea(Park's third and last term) as you mentioned, I hope to watch another one that deals with Chun Doo-hwan's reign, who seized power after Park's death and brutally suppressed the demands for democratization in the city of Gwangju.
I believe you
*One of the most controversial characters in modern Korean history!* Many conservative party supporters always visit to worship his hometown and grave with related politicians. In all previous presidential and general elections, 12 million of Gyeongsang Province voted Overwhelmingly for the Conservative Party due to inheriting the Legacy of Park Chung-hee. Among all politicians, his daughter 'Park-Geun-Hye' stood center of remuneration, and led the party to victory in all elections until 2016. Because old generations(Aged 60, 70, 80 years old) felt the nostalgia of the high growth period that existed in the 1970s and have strong faith in the direction of politics from based who Park Chung-hee's leadership 50 years ago.
His regime progressed two systems of economic development & dictatorship during the 18 years, and his core forces 'Central Intelligence Agency & Korean Army' has a duty the surveillance and oppression civil society. Due to blocking any voice of citizens, the individual issue of Vietnam War Soldier Victims or soldier death became buried thoroughly, and compensation for comfort women and forced labor issues. His economic development was preceded by 'personal sacrifice', and it became a political target from the democratic party. Ironically, what ended his 18-year dictatorship was not the uprising of citizens but the economic crisis caused by the second oil shock.
Missed the Saemaul Undong programme he implemented.
I hope that you mention the 2nd and unofficial Korean War when talking about South Korea again.
These are fantastic pieces of the puzzle which is History.
[ ….and I like his comments about “liking, subscribing and hitting the bell” - always just a bit of good humor].
📻🙂
I spent 12 years fighting the military rule when I was in my 20s. I got more and more radicalized and ended up becoming a hard-core Marx-Leninist, at least .with regard to theory.
However, I have never despised Park or his successor Chun. It is a great luck that your foe is a strong and respectable man.
Park was a great character. He used to be a communist and was almost executed.
He literally invented the export-driven growth model. He betted on heavy and petrochemical industries from the early 70s.
He implemented the VAT for transparency in 1977, which was a political suicide.
He began the change from a government-driven economy to market- driven in 1979, which was another political suicide.
A dictator who preferred transparency and fair market?
Korea in 1979 is comparable to China in 1990 in terms of personal GDP.
Rhee and Park were great leader. I was lucky to spend 12 years fighting Park and his successor lest my country turn into a corrupt military junta's playground. They more than deserve my youth.
Yeah competent enemy is far better than incompetent ally
I mean 2 coups in around 30 years is not bad
It was quite stable and actually improved the economy
Look at how Argentina and many other military dictatorships took down their country South Korea is acutally on the lucky side
...Or Italy. Italy's successive governments in the second half of the 20th century can be measured in RPM!
Pinochet created similar results in Chile. He even gave up his power voluntarily in 1990.
If you look at history alone, South Korea has all the characteristics of becoming another dictatorship. There's a saying that even North Koreans had a better economy than their brothers in the South at one point. That all changed in the 90s with increase in democracy and economy. I'm no expert in Korean affairs but I can say that they are indeed on the lucky side considering other countries that are in similar path like South Korea ended up destroying itself. Just my viewpoint.
@@wongjimmy3189 not 90’s after 1976
@@wongjimmy3189 No, just the opposite.. It is very far from the type of dictatorship that is commonly seen.
He shunned his relatives and did not accumulate personal wealth, and it's a well-known story that at the time of his death, his belt was worn out and was wearing holed socks.
Everything that speaks of modern Korea's economic growth was created in his time.
It was also during his time that he foresaw and succeeded in the steel industry in which they could exist, apart from chaebols such as Samsung, LG, and Hyundai. It was also his philosophy that built a highway that overcame all opposition and still operates as the blood vessel of the economy.
It is no exaggeration to say that all the legacy of Korea that exists today belongs to him.
The indicators North Korea claimed after the war are difficult to prove and are close to fiction.
It may seem that North Korea is better off because of the Soviet support and infrastructure left over from the Japanese colonial era, but according to defectors, the reality was very different.
There are still too many naysayers who want to bring him down. Don't blindly trust them and check the objective indicators.
The economic development of East Asian countries such as Korea, China, Japan, and Taiwan is not a coincidence.
They were a highly developed region that had flourished brilliant culture, ideology, and philosophy since the days of ancient states, and operated a centralized state through a thorough rule of law and bureaucracy based on secularism.
It is true that Park Chung-hee accelerated the pace of Korea's economic development by several decades, but considering various historical and cultural circumstances, it was inevitable that Korea would leap forward into a developed country.
Agree
Absolutely not inevitable.
@@robertortiz-wilson1588 their cultures are inherently rooted in respect, discipline, hard work, being learned, and seizing good opportunities. Of course it was inevitable.
@@TSERJI definitely far more likely. Not inevitable.
@@robertortiz-wilson1588 there are so many things that would have all had to go so wrong in order for the Asian Economic Miracle to not have been inevitable.
Looking forward to your episode on Park's later years and what came after
he murdered by park jae gyue and jae gyue go to prison and die
"Coup against himself."
South America be like: First time?
AH Korea.. despite the pretensions of superiority of its inhabitants, it was little more than a banana republic until the end of the 1980s.
Fantastic
How South Korea didn't collapsed like South Vietnam, despite of coups
Korean dictators actually knew what they were doing, unlike Vietnam.
fun fact, chaebol and zaibatsu share the same chinese characters
Cool ring 😎
Japan: Tries to carve out its sphere of influence in Asia by force, gets nuked
Japan: "Well, guess let's be business partners then"... doing a deep bow of respect while prepairing anime soft power subversion campaign in the background to get them all hooked
Will you continue this through the further dictatorships to 1987?
He did what he had to do for a nation that had barely any resources, a nation as cold, barren and war-stricken as it was to become as wealthy and culturally relevant as it is today.
Democracy is slow and one wrong regime can turn back the clocks of progress several years even decades. Not glorifying it but nearly if not all of the 4 Asian tiger nations were this wealthy and significant today arguably because there were direct rule from the top at one point or another post WWII.
What comes after, naturally, is what those governments of today will have to admit, address and tackle. Great set of post-Korean war content here!
For once I'm here before 500 views! This episode looks like it'll be interesting.
Skip to 1:36
Myanmar history is filled with them to this day
A South Korean : Oh, fu-
The Cold War 채널에서 한국을 이렇게 집중적으로 다루다니 놀랍네요. 박정희 정권은 독재정권이기는 했지만 기본적으로 애국심과 진정성을 갖춘 독재였기에 제3세계의 다른 독재정권들과는 달리 국가의 체질을 개선하고 오늘날의 발전을 이룩하는 기틀을 마련했다고 봅니다.
동의합니다.
They are covering South Korea because it has a significant impact and influence to contemporary world.
Well, when you have direct help from the US as a showcase to counter the other half (which in the contrary goes full autarkic fescenending into Juche madness) it may be easier.
@@thethirdjegsSK is becoming, more than the industrial power we know, some of a cultural powerhouse, like Japan before her.
Authoritarianism is a tool like any other, democracy is a privilege of a society without existential threats
Hi! i was wondering if you have a video about the chinese american rapprochement in the 70s?
How do you even go about rescheduling a coup d'etat
Just one correction, the word 'chaebol' is not pronounced as 'chai-bol', but rather as 'che-ball'. But otherwise, this was a very informative and enjoyable video.
Are you trolling??
Because its spelled more like "che-bol".
I would know.
@@Pau_Pau9 Pronouncing it as 'che-bol' isn't wrong, it's just that 'che-ball' is my preferred pronunciation. However there is a right way to pronounce the first syllable of 'chaebol'.
More like "Chae-Bowl."
"Jeh-beul" for me. "Jeh" as in JEllo, and "beol" as in BAnana with an L at the end.
@@supykun yeah, but good luck trying to get a white person to pronounce that.
They collaborated with the Japanese, Committed war crimes in Vietnam and provide help in the 2003 US invasion of Iraq...South Korea
False. South korea fought japan when it was created in 1919 as provincial government of the republic of korea, a korean government in exile.
Koreans were forced into the Japanese military, it wasn't voluntary
I’ve been living here since January.
We Wish to Have a Feature episode about the Philippines under Ferdinand E. Marcos
I always surmised that president park had a genius level I q . His coup for instance could have failed. But he secured all departments so that it would not. On the other hand , his offspring who also became president failed miserably. I suppose she could not overcome all her political enemies.
It's not coup it never was. It was revolution that changed all south koreans lives for far better. If you doubt my words then look at north korea. Countless poeple in north died of famine. and people in south worry about diet nowadays.
Do Sudan next.
Coups sure are nifty
I don't think the tags "Apatheid" and "SouthAfrica" are the right hash tags for this video.
Park Chung-hee and Jeon Doo-hwan: The first step in Korea's attempt to become independent in the field of nuclear weapons/weapons
The final stage. And at the same time, it was the worst time for relations with the United States and the worst time for democracy in the Republic of Korea.
On the contrary, North Korea was developing nuclear weapons
the earliest days.
- But didn't Park Chung-hee's relationship with the U.S. deteriorate due to his attempts to develop nuclear weapons at that time?
South Korea fought in the Vietnam War at the request of the United States for 10 years. Korea used it as a "seed money " for economic development, including the Saemaul Movement with foreign currency obtained from the United States through the Vietnam War. However, another reason for Korea's participation in the Vietnam War was that if Vietnam collapsed, communism spread like dominoes, and Korea was also considered dangerous. But when I came to Korea in 1973, the U.S. troops withdrew from Vietnam. Park Chung-hee began to lose faith in the alliance with the United States by watching this. This is why he started developing nuclear weapons."
- Was the nuclear development attempt the main cause of the deterioration of Korea-U.S. relations at the time?
"Of course. I sent 300,000 people to Vietnam," Park Chung-hee said. But I can't trust America. He would have thought, 'We must protect ourselves.'."
- When did Park Chung-hee start developing nuclear weapons?
"It's about 1972."
- Did America know that right away?
"No,"
- When did you find out?
"It's 1973."
- How did you find out?
"That's hard to say."
- So what did you do?
"We stopped it (Nuclear weapons. I reported Korea's nuclear development to my home country and the U.S. government demanded that it stop very carefully."
- How did you persuade Park Chung-hee?
We reaffirmed that we will protect the South against any attack from the North and therefore that the South does not need to have nuclear weapons."
During a 2011 interview with Donald Gregg, general manager of the CIA's Korean branch in the 1970s and U.S. Ambassador to Korea in 1989-1993
North Korea established the Nuclear Physics Research Institute in 1955 and signed a nuclear agreement with the Soviet Union in 1956. In 1962, the Soviet Union brought in IRT-2000, a research reactor. This was four years after the Soviet Union first developed the IRT-2000.
The Rhee Syng-man regime signed a nuclear agreement with the United States in 1955, and over the next two to three years, about 120 "nuclear students" were dispatched to the Argonne National Laboratory in the United States. In 1957, Yoon Se-yoon, a professor at Seoul National University who returned from training at the Argon Institute, took office as the head of the nuclear division of the Ministry of Education and Technology, which was established in 1956. In the same year, the Nuclear Power Act was submitted to the National Assembly and passed in 58 years, and in 1959, the Nuclear Power Institute and the Nuclear Research Institute were established. In 1962, after the resignation of the Rhee Syng-man regime, Korea's first nuclear reactor, "Triga Mk. 2," was brought in.
Based ROK
Back then, South Korea chose the way of surviving instead of being starved. Because the leader Yun didn't know how to develop the nation's futuristic economy to rescue poor people. So the protagonist of the coup Park built the national economy & its development plans for the first time to be a better country.
Thereby, SAMSUNG, Hyundai, LG, and other major companies could build their business basis to raise Korea's economy through the central government's political support. So lots of poor Koreans could obtain their jobs to feed themselves & family members, moreover, most Koreans praised Park's effective economic schedules except for a few democratic activists.
Furthermore, he decided to join the Vietnam War because the US administration & its leader Kennedy demanded the South Korean army should join the war, and if don't the US army in South Korea would leave to dispatch the Vietnam War. At the time, South Korea does not have any other options to dodge the offer from the US, so had to follow America's order.
From 1965 to 1973, a total of 500,0000 Korean soldiers went to the Vietnam War to fight against the communist side NVA, VC guys, and the reason is to protect Vietnam's democracy. After ending of the war, the US government gave South Korea modernized infantry weapons like M-16 & M60 machine guns to improve the Korean army's combat capabilities. In 1969, the Korean Republic could boost its national economic plans based on America's final support.
But that was final and no more support for Korea because the US had to support other underdevelopment nations in Latin America or Africa. Thus, South Korea had to feed its people through its efforts without America's economic backup since 1969.
"So he declared a coup against... himself."
OK, we've reached Turkmenbashi levels of autocratic insanity hahaha.
Self coups are not uncommon, the president of Peru just tried that few months ago but epically failed
Wow! I’m in Az.
Mongolia?
@@longiusaescius2537 yes my family is Mongolian but from Korea.
@@karendalsadik7119 what did you mean by Az?
AND RED VELVET BRO WHO IS THE STAN WHO WROTE THE SCRIPT TELL ME YOU STAN PLEASE
So ... the occupation of South Korea by the Japanese Imperial Army ended only in 1979? And people still think the Korean War was about capitalism vs communism ...
its funny to think that between 1953 and 1987 neither NK & SK had democracy, and freedom while under military Rule (SK til 87 while NK is yet to be seen) Park also followed line of NK that was the Hair Style Regime cuz once he came to power many Hair Styles wore Outlawed, Banned and had to be cut Both Men n women btw. Also Japan helped SK in the industrial areas of Korea like Steel Mills n Naval shipyards by Funding the work n send workers to help them as a sort of compensation from Japan colonial rule 1910-45.
Also workers worent allow no excuses just like they didnt have rights but with one thing about Park was this: If he felt the Construction was below standart he had it Blown up/Tore it down and Start Again also they worked so fast that accidents wore frequent.
and
A symbolic modern leader who brought about unprecedented growth in world history, called the Han River Miracle..
Due to the nature of the region in confrontation with North Korea, there are still many North Korean followers and leftists in South Korea. Like the divided Germany of the past
Democracy is a luxury for the hungry. 95% of people in the Joseon Dynasty before Japanese colonization were almost like slaves. Not to mention illiteracy.
It is not as easy as it sounds to transform uncivilized people who have not changed even after liberation into modern people.
Korea was liberated in 1945. The Korean War that broke out in 1950 ended in 1953 and there was nothing left in south. Park came to power in 1961 just after 8years end the war. Who the hell can say democracy here?
Tell me just one person if there was like restored the war that ended in '53 and achieved what he accomplished in less than 20 years from '61 to '79..
There are too many opponents in Korea who don't like talking about the miracle he accomplished.
Even here, there are many people who do not know anything about the situation at the time and like to speak easily by substituting the current standard.
Still, opponents portray him as a brutal murderer. In the circumstances of the times and in the local context, what he did was directed at political opponents, not ordinary people. It was a time when an armed spy was attempting an assassination attempt, and a time when an invasion was attempted by digging a tunnel.
If he had been indecisive and unable to make such a decision at the time, it would have rather harmed ordinary people.
I just hope you do not believe the instigation of leftists in Korea who oppose him and make your own judgment. You just need to know that the leader that North Korea feared the most was Park.
I will never forget when I was teaching English in South Korea in the early 2000s, and happened to observe a pro-North Korea, anti-USA demonstration by ahistorical students at and around Busan Station. Laughable. The police actually asked me to leave, as I suspect they didn't want me to see that. I am an American. But I behaved myself and held my tongue and later spoke with a (South Korean) Korean War vet, obviously an older gentleman, who was the only other person in the area who didn't understand what the students were doing, or why.
man where is the next part of this history of Korea, what about Chun's takeover and later fall?
Modern Korea owes everything to Park Chung Hee. Everything he did makes sense if you understand that he loved his country and did everything possible to build up a very poor country and defend it against another invasion. If Korea was led by the group of weak, self-serving leaders since his death, then South Korea would still be a very poor country, or more likely, have fallen to the North (in the 70's).