Park Chung-hee (14 November 1917 - 26 October 1979) was a South Korean president and military general who led South Korea from 1961 until his assassination in 1979.

Park seized power through a military coup d'閠at that overthrew the Korean Second Republic in 1961 and ruled as a military strongman at the head of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction until his election and inauguration as the President of the Korean Third Republic in 1963.

In 1972; Park declared martial law and recast the constitution into a highly authoritarian document; ushering in the Korean Fourth Republic. After surviving several assassination attempts; including two operations associated with North Korea; Park was eventually assassinated on 26 October 1979 by Kim Jae-gyu; the chief of his own security services. He had led South Korea for 18 years. Pictures From History