Park Chung-hee stands as the dominant figure in the Republic of Korea's history and particularly in the development of modern South Korea. He was the 5th-9th president of the of South Korea. Before his presidency, he was a military general. Park seized power through the May 16 coup, a military coup d'état that overthrew the Second Republic of South Korea 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 Third Republic of South Korea in 1963.
Park concentrated all the power of social, political, and economic under his command. As a former Military General, President Park keen for stability, economic development, and strengthen national defense. He did not know the principles of democracy or democratic way of life. Park argued that democracy will not only bring the slow economic progress but also the social segregation and undermine national defense. In 1961, per-capita income in South Korea was less than $100 a year. North Korea, with mineral resources and an industrial base, was regarded as the stronger power on the peninsula. Park moved quickly to correct this imbalance. Within weeks of his coup, he had established a body to provide central government direction to economic development. A five-year plan was developed, and Park put knowledgeable economists in charge of implementing it.