But even Shangri-la must change. When King Jigme Singye Wangchuck became king in 1972 Bhutan suffered from chronic poverty, and its illiteracy and infant mortality rates were among the highest in the world. These were consequences of a stubborn policy of isolation "We paid a heavy price," the king would say later. His father, Bhutan's third king, began opening up the country in the 1960s, improving infrastructure by building roads, establishing schools and health clinics nationwide, and pushing for United Nations membership. King Jigme Singye Wangchuck would go much further. He tried to dictate the terms of Bhutan's opening and in the process redefined the very meaning of development. The phrase he invented to describe his approach is "Gross National Happiness." In November 2008, his son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, took over from him, becoming Bhutan's fifth king