Park Geun-hye

Park Geun-hye
Official portrait, 2013
Park Geun-hye
Born	2 2, 1952
Birthplace	Daegu, South Korea
Nationality	South Korean
Occupation	Politician
Known for	11th President of South Korea; first woman elected head of state in South Korea and East Asia
Education	Bachelor of Electronic Engineering, Sogang University
Awards	Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women (2013, 2014)

Park Geun-hye (Korean: 박근혜; born 2 February 1952) is a South Korean politician who served as the 11th president of South Korea from February 2013 until her removal from office in March 2017. The eldest daughter of Park Chung Hee, the country's third president, she became the first woman to be elected head of state in South Korea and in East Asia. Her political career spanned decades, beginning with her role as acting first lady following the assassination of her mother in 1974 and extending through four consecutive terms as a member of the National Assembly. Park led the conservative Grand National Party from 2004 to 2006 and the Saenuri Party from 2011 to 2012 before winning the presidential election in December 2012. Her presidency, however, ended in crisis: in December 2016, the National Assembly impeached her over a corruption and influence-peddling scandal involving her close confidante Choi Soon-sil, and the Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment unanimously in March 2017. She was subsequently convicted and sentenced to prison, before receiving a presidential pardon in December 2021.

Early Life

Park Geun-hye was born on 2 February 1952 in Daegu, South Korea. She was the eldest daughter of Park Chung Hee, who would go on to serve as the third president of South Korea from 1963 until his assassination in 1979, and Yuk Young-soo.

Park's upbringing was shaped profoundly by her father's political career and the turbulent events that engulfed her family. On 15 August 1974, during a ceremony marking Korean Liberation Day at the National Theatre in Seoul, a gunman attempted to assassinate President Park Chung Hee. The assassination attempt failed to kill its intended target, but a stray bullet struck and killed Park's mother, Yuk Young-soo. Park Geun-hye, then 22 years old, was thrust into the role of acting first lady of South Korea, a position she held from 1974 until her father's assassination on 26 October 1979.

The loss of both parents to political violence — her mother in 1974 and her father in 1979, when he was shot and killed by Kim Jae-gyu, the director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency — left a lasting mark on Park's life and political identity. After her father's death, Park withdrew from public life for a period, retreating from the political spotlight that had defined her formative years.

Park's early experiences in the presidential Blue House, first as the president's daughter and then as the de facto first lady, gave her direct exposure to statecraft and governance at a young age. These years also established her public image as a figure of resilience, shaped by personal tragedy within the context of South Korea's authoritarian political era under her father's rule.

Education

Park Geun-hye attended Sogang University in Seoul, one of South Korea's prominent private universities. She graduated in 1974 with a bachelor's degree in electronic engineering. Her choice of a technical field was notable for a woman in South Korea during that era. Park's graduation coincided with the assassination of her mother, which pulled her into a public role that would define the remainder of the 1970s.

Career

Acting First Lady (1974–1979)

Following the death of her mother Yuk Young-soo in August 1974, Park Geun-hye assumed the role of acting first lady of South Korea at the age of 22. She served in this capacity under her father's presidency, fulfilling official ceremonial duties and representing the administration at domestic and international events. Her tenure as first lady lasted until 26 October 1979, when President Park Chung Hee was assassinated.

During these five years, Park gained firsthand experience in the workings of government and diplomacy. The role thrust her into public prominence at a young age and established her as a recognizable figure in South Korean political life. After her father's death, Park withdrew from public affairs and remained largely out of the political arena for nearly two decades.

Entry into Electoral Politics

Park Geun-hye returned to the political stage in 1998, winning election to the National Assembly as the representative for the Dalseong constituency in Daegu. Her entry into electoral politics marked the beginning of a prolonged career in the legislature. She served four consecutive parliamentary terms representing Dalseong between 1998 and 2012, building a substantial political base rooted in the conservative stronghold of the Gyeongsang region.

In June 2012, Park began a fifth term as a representative elected via the national proportional representation list, a move that positioned her for a presidential bid later that year.

Party Leadership

Park rose to the leadership of the Grand National Party (GNP), the major conservative party in South Korea, in March 2004. She assumed the party chairmanship at a moment of crisis: President Roh Moo-hyun had been impeached by the National Assembly, and the conservative bloc faced significant public backlash. Under Park's leadership from 2004 to 2006, the party sought to regroup and rebuild its image.

Park later served as leader of the Saenuri Party — the renamed successor to the GNP — from December 2011 to May 2012. This second stint as party leader coincided with preparations for the 2012 presidential election, for which Park emerged as the party's candidate.

Presidential Campaign and Election (2012)

Park Geun-hye won the presidential election held on 19 December 2012, becoming the first woman elected as head of state in South Korea and the first female president in East Asia. Her election was a historic moment in the country's democratic history, breaking a barrier in a political culture that had been overwhelmingly dominated by men. She defeated Moon Jae-in of the Democratic United Party, who would later succeed her as president following her impeachment.

Park's campaign drew on themes of economic democratization, national security, and welfare expansion. Her family background was both an asset and a liability: while some voters viewed her connection to Park Chung Hee as a symbol of economic development and national strength, others associated the elder Park with authoritarian repression and human rights abuses during his nearly two-decade rule.

Presidency (2013–2017)

Park Geun-hye was inaugurated as the 11th president of South Korea on 25 February 2013. Her predecessor was Lee Myung-bak, also of the conservative camp.

During her presidency, Park appeared on the Forbes list of the world's 100 most powerful women, ranking 11th in both 2013 and 2014 — the highest-ranked woman in East Asia on the list. In 2014, she also ranked 46th on the Forbes list of the world's most powerful people, making her the third-highest-ranked South Korean on the list, behind Samsung leaders Lee Kun-hee and Lee Jae-yong.

Park's presidency was marked by efforts to improve inter-Korean relations, navigate South Korea's complex security environment amid North Korean provocations, and pursue economic reforms. Her administration's foreign policy included the maintenance of close ties with the United States and the management of a sometimes fraught relationship with Japan over historical grievances.

However, Park's tenure became increasingly defined by political crises and declining public trust. The sinking of the MV Sewol ferry in April 2014, which killed 304 people — most of them high school students — became a defining moment of her presidency. Criticism over the government's response to the disaster and questions about Park's activities on the day of the sinking eroded public confidence in her leadership.

Impeachment and Removal from Office

The central crisis that ended Park Geun-hye's presidency was the revelation in late 2016 of a sprawling corruption and influence-peddling scandal involving Choi Soon-sil (later known as Choi Seo-won), a longtime confidante of Park who held no official government position. Investigations revealed that Choi had exerted substantial influence over government affairs, including the review of presidential speeches and policy documents, and had used her relationship with Park to pressure major South Korean conglomerates into donating tens of millions of dollars to foundations she controlled.

The scandal prompted massive public protests in Seoul and other cities, with hundreds of thousands of citizens taking to the streets in a series of weekly candlelight demonstrations demanding Park's resignation. On 9 December 2016, the National Assembly voted to impeach Park on charges related to the influence-peddling scandal. The vote passed with 234 in favor out of 300 members, meaning that a significant number of members from Park's own Saenuri Party voted for impeachment.

Following the impeachment vote, Park's presidential powers and duties were suspended, and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn assumed the role of acting president. The case was referred to the Constitutional Court for adjudication.

On 10 March 2017, the Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment in a unanimous 8–0 ruling, thereby removing Park from office. She became the first president in South Korean history to be removed through impeachment. The court found that Park had violated the constitution and the law through her actions in the scandal. Her removal triggered a presidential by-election, which was won by Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party on 9 May 2017.

Criminal Trials and Imprisonment

Following her removal from office, Park Geun-hye was arrested and detained. On 6 April 2018, South Korean courts sentenced her to 24 years in prison for corruption and abuse of power. The sentence was later increased to 25 years on appeal.

In 2018, Park faced two additional criminal cases. She was found guilty of illegally receiving off-the-books funds from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and sentenced to five additional years in prison. Separately, she was convicted of illegally interfering in the Saenuri Party's primaries ahead of the 2016 South Korean legislative election, resulting in a further two-year sentence. In total, these additional convictions added seven years to her prison term.

Park served her prison sentence at the Seoul Detention Center. During her incarceration, health concerns were reported, and she underwent medical treatment.

Pardon and Release

On 24 December 2021, South Korean President Moon Jae-in announced that Park Geun-hye would receive a presidential pardon on compassionate grounds, citing her deteriorating health. Moon, who had defeated Park's political allies in the 2017 presidential election and had himself been defeated by Park in the 2012 race, described the pardon as an act intended to promote national unity.

Park was released from prison on 31 December 2021, having served approximately four years and nine months of her combined sentences. She returned to her private residence approximately three months later, on 24 March 2022.

Post-Release

Following her release from prison, Park Geun-hye has continued to be a figure of public interest and occasional political involvement in South Korea. In January 2026, she met with Jang Dong-hyeok, the chair of the opposition People Power Party (PPP), who was conducting a hunger strike. Park urged Jang to end the hunger strike, and he subsequently did so following her visit.

In February 2026, Park's private residence in Seoul was seized by a court at the request of YouTuber Kim Se-ui, after Park reportedly failed to pay an outstanding debt. According to reports, Park had borrowed 2.5 billion won (approximately US$1.8 million) to purchase the home in 2022 following her release from prison.

Personal Life

Park Geun-hye has never married and has no children. She has been noted for her private and reserved personal demeanor, attributes that have been both praised and criticized in South Korean political culture. Her personal life has been shaped to a significant degree by the political violence that claimed both of her parents: her mother Yuk Young-soo was killed in a 1974 assassination attempt targeting her father, and her father Park Chung Hee was assassinated in 1979.

Park's relationship with Choi Soon-sil, which became the subject of intense public and legal scrutiny during the 2016 scandal, reportedly dated back decades to the period after her mother's death, when Choi's father, the religious figure Choi Tae-min, became an influential figure in Park's life.

Following her release from prison in late 2021, Park returned to a private residence in the Dalseong district of Daegu. As of early 2026, she continued to reside in South Korea.

Recognition

Park Geun-hye's election as president in December 2012 was recognized as a historic milestone as the first election of a female head of state in South Korea and in East Asia.

During her presidency, Park was listed on multiple Forbes rankings. In 2013 and 2014, she ranked 11th on the Forbes list of the world's 100 most powerful women, the highest-ranked woman in East Asia. In 2014, she was also listed at number 46 on the Forbes list of the world's most powerful people, making her the third-highest-ranked South Korean on that list, behind Samsung's Lee Kun-hee and Lee Jae-yong.

Park's legacy in terms of recognition is, however, inextricable from the corruption scandal that ended her presidency. Her impeachment and removal by unanimous Constitutional Court ruling in 2017 made her the first South Korean president to be removed from office through the impeachment process, a distinction that reshaped public discourse about presidential accountability and the rule of law in South Korea.

Legacy

Park Geun-hye's political legacy is a subject of significant debate in South Korea. As the first woman elected president in South Korea and East Asia, her 2012 election represented a notable development in political representation. Her personal history — as the daughter of a president, the survivor of family tragedies rooted in political violence, and a career politician who rose through the ranks of the conservative movement — made her one of the most prominent and polarizing figures in modern South Korean politics.

Her impeachment and removal from office in 2017 became a landmark event in South Korean constitutional history. The unanimous 8–0 ruling by the Constitutional Court affirmed the principle that no president is above the law and that the impeachment mechanism enshrined in the South Korean constitution could function as intended. The massive candlelight protests that preceded and accompanied the impeachment process — often referred to as the "Candlelight Revolution" — were seen as a demonstration of civic engagement and democratic resilience.

Park's criminal conviction and imprisonment underscored a recurring pattern in South Korean politics, in which former presidents have faced legal accountability after leaving office. Her predecessors Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo, and Lee Myung-bak were all convicted of crimes after their presidencies, though the circumstances varied.

The pardon granted to Park in December 2021 by President Moon Jae-in, her political rival, was characterized by the Moon administration as an effort to promote national reconciliation and unity. The decision was met with mixed reactions across the political spectrum.

Park's ongoing public presence, including her intervention in the PPP hunger strike matter in January 2026, suggests that she retains influence within conservative political circles, even after her removal from office and criminal convictions.