Park Geun-hye

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Park Geun-hye (2013)
Park Geun-hye (2013)

Korean spelling
Hangeul 박근혜
Hanja 朴 槿 惠
Revised
Romanization 		Bak Geun-hye
McCune-
Reischauer 		Pak Kŭnhye

Park Geun-hye (born February 2, 1952 in Daegu ) is a former South Korean politician and was the country's president from 2013 to 2017 . She is the former leader of the conservative Saenuri party .

After long protests over allegations of corruption , she was suspended from office on December 9, 2016 and removed from office on March 10, 2017 by the Constitutional Court. As a result, starting in 2018, she was sentenced to a 22-year prison term and a heavy fine for corruption and other crimes in several legal proceedings. Park stayed away from the negotiations because they were politically motivated. In December 2021, Park was pardoned by her successor, Moon Jae-in .

Life

Park Geun-hye and Chancellor Angela Merkel (2014)

Park is the daughter of General and longtime President Park Chung-hee , who ruled the country dictatorially after a military coup in 1961 .

Park Geun-hye's popularity from 2013 to 2016

Her mother was shot dead by a Korean living in Japan in a 1974 assassination attempt against her father . In the following years she took over the role of first lady in place of her mother . Choi Tae-min , a leader of a sect and a confidante of Park Chung-hee, provided Park Geun-hye's spiritual assistance. The relationship between the two is said to have not only been a mentor-student relationship. A report by the then US ambassador to South Korea was leaked through WikiLeaks , in which he reported rumors that Choi, a "Korean Rasputin ", controlled Park Geun-hye. Due to the proximity to power, the Choi family was able to increase their wealth enormously. Through this relationship, Park Geun-hye also met Choi Soon-sil , the daughter of Choi Tae-min.

In 1979, her father was shot dead by the intelligence chief Kim Jae-kyu . She then worked for a foundation. In 1993 she became the chairwoman of the Korean Cultural Society.

In 1997, after the outbreak of the Asian crisis , she decided, contrary to her original wishes, to go into politics. She was elected to the South Korean National Assembly in 1998 , to which she was a member until 2012. As early as May 2000, she became vice-chairman of the Grand National Party. In May 2001, she met with Kim Jong-il . In March 2004, she succeeded Lee Hoi-chang as chairman of the Conservative Party.

In 2006 she was injured with a knife by a mentally ill person during an election campaign . In the same year her party won the regional elections against the ruling Social Democrats. She ran for the 2007 presidential election , but was defeated in an internal party primary to Lee Myung-bak , who was then also elected President of South Korea.

Presidency

In December 2011 she was re-elected chairman of the Grand National Party, which was renamed the Saenuri Party in February 2012. The success of the Saenuri party in the parliamentary elections in April 2012 was largely taken as its merit. After the general election, she resigned from the party leadership to focus on running for president. On August 20, 2012, she was elected the Saenuri Party's presidential candidate, and on December 19, 2012, she became the first woman to win the presidential election. She was sworn in and took office on February 25, 2013.

While the focus of her application for the presidential candidacy, which failed in 2007/08, was still on tax cuts, the dismantling of regulations and internal security, Park has also increasingly represented social issues since 2009. If she had justified the 1961 coup earlier, Park last said that history would decide. Their program was under the motto "economic democratization", which should overcome the inequality of wealth and reduce youth unemployment.

In 2014, Park was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Law Faculty of the Technical University of Dresden . During the widely acclaimed Dresden speech , Park made constructive suggestions to the North Korean leadership in order to bring the two Koreas closer. She said in her speech that a reunification would be a "jackpot" for her.

The cautious policy of rapprochement with the northern neighbor was literally destroyed when a mine laid by North Korean soldiers on the South Korean border exploded in August 2015. South Korean soldiers were seriously injured. In response, the South Korean government had huge public address systems installed on the border with the north and sounded propaganda at North Korean border guards. Several North Korean nuclear and missile tests, previously banned by UN resolutions, resulted in an end to the jointly operated industrial region of Kaesŏng .

In September 2015, Park participated in the military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in China. This was seen as a cautious policy of rapprochement between China and South Korea. Since the park government's decision to deploy THAAD , interstate relations have cooled dramatically.

In December 2015, the representatives of the Japanese and South Korean governments signed the agreement to settle the long- running comfort women problem. Japan apologized and paid 1 billion yen (approximately $ 8.3 million) to the victims who were still alive. In return, the South Korean side agreed to remove, among other things, the statue of consolation in front of the Japanese embassy. However, the decision was taken without any discussion with the population and was a result of US political pressure. On December 28, 2016, South Korean protesters erected a new statue of consolation outside the Japanese consulate in Busan . The bilateral relationship between the two countries has long been considered chilly. In addition to the comfort women problem, there is a dispute over the territorial claim to the island of Dokdo / Takeshima , because of the name for the sea between Japan and Korea East Sea / Sea of Japan , because of the incarceration of some war criminals in the Yasukuni shrine and because of the revisionist attitude of the Japanese Government on history, especially trying to change the school books in that direction.

Park Geun-hye received criticism for her policies both at home and abroad for her attempt to standardize the history books in schools. Government critics accused her of trying to gloss over the role of her father Park Chung-hee in Korean history. The South Korean government has repeatedly criticized the Japanese government for its revision of history .

Corruption scandal

In late October 2016, Park's relationship with Choi Soon-sil , daughter of Pastor Choi Tae-min , came into the public eye. It became known that Choi had access to confidential government documents even though she did not hold an official position in the government. Nevertheless, she acted as an advisor to the President. For example, Choi's tablet was found with the Dresden speech she had revised. There have been allegations that Choi was using her leverage to blackmail companies into donations. Among other things, she is said to have blackmailed the Samsung group into paying 43 billion won (approx. 36 million US dollars) to several letterbox companies disguised as foundations. In return, the government is said to have helped out with the merger of the Samsung subsidiary Cheil Industries with Samsung C&T. Former NPS (State Pension Fund) head Moon Hyung-pyo and the de facto head of Samsung group Lee Jae-yong were arrested.

Choi was also accused of manipulating Ewha Womans University's admissions process to allow her daughter, dressage rider Chung Yoo-ra , to attend university. On October 25, 2016, Park confirmed relations with Choi. A few days later, she fired her secretaries. The former president of the university, the dean and some professors were arrested in the course of the investigation. They had given Chung credentials even though she never went to college or took any exams.

The former chief of staff Kim Ki-choon and the former minister of education Cho Yoon-sun were also arrested for keeping a blacklist of artists and cultural workers in the country who were considered park critics - including the oldboy director Park Chan- wook . These were systematically excluded from state funding for culture. President Park and her arrested staff said they did not know about the blacklist.

The parliamentary investigation, the special investigation and the constitutional court could not explain the seven-hour absence of Park Geun-hye during the Sewol disaster, especially since the president refused to cooperate with the investigators, contrary to her previous promise. Park was accused of failing to act as president during the hours in question. At the same time, the investigators had a very difficult time because access to the presidential residence, the Blue House , was denied. The president has immunity. It emerged, however, that Park, contrary to security regulations, allowed Choi Soon-sil and some of her acquaintances access to the Blue House, including people who gave Park medical care. Park received several botox treatments from the cosmetic surgeon Kim Young-jae, also an acquaintance of Choi Soon-sil. Kim wasn't even subjected to a security check.

The investigation also revealed that Choi Soon-sil had distributed anonymous cell phones to people she knew, including Park Geun-hye. The use of such cell phones is prohibited in South Korea. In South Korea, call data is stored for up to a year. The existence of these cell phones could be determined from the testimony of Choi's niece, who was also arrested. It was found that between April 18 and October 26, 2016, Park and Choi had spoken to each other 570 times using the prohibited cell phones.

Park's popularity among the South Korean population fell to 17%. On Saturdays of October 29, 5, 12 and 19 November 2016 arrived in Seoul to protest marches of the public to park. According to police estimates, the march held on November 12 was one of the largest since the introduction of democracy in South Korea, with an estimated 260,000 participants (1 million participants according to the organizers). Park had previously apologized publicly on television and offered Parliament to let him decide on their future prime minister. In November 2016, Park's popularity ratings fell to five percent in opinion polls, despite multiple apologies. At the same time, the public prosecutor accused her of having played a "significant role" in the affair surrounding Choi Soon-sil, who had since been arrested on suspicion of fraud and abuse of power.

Park made a short televised address on November 29, 2016. She gave up everything and left the decision on a resignation, including a shortening of the term of office, to the National Assembly. She also apologized for having tried in the last 18 years of her political activity to act in the interests of the country, never in the interests of herself. She announced that she would disclose more information about the allegations, but did not answer questions. The opposition parties announced impeachment proceedings .

On December 9, 2016, Park was suspended from her post by Parliament by 234 votes to 56. The constitutional court then had to decide within 180 days whether it would approve the vote. Until then, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn took over the state duties . The Constitutional Court adopted the final reports of both parties on February 27, 2017. On March 10, 2017, under presiding judge Lee Jung-mi , the court ruled 8-0 to remove Park from office. The verdict said that Park's actions "severely damaged the spirit of representative democracy and the definition of the law." In addition, the court found it established that Park had "completely concealed Choi's interference in state affairs", denied it "when suspicions about the crime were raised" and even criticized those "who raised suspicions."

Park left the Blue House on March 12, 2017 and moved to her private residence in Samseong-dong in southern Seoul. Through her spokesman, Min Kyung-wook, she thanked those who had supported her and trusted her. The speaker also read: “I will have full responsibility. Even if it takes time, I believe the truth will eventually win. ”The statement did not include Park's acceptance of the court judgment. The new election was then put on May 9th.

Park Geun-hye was taken into custody on March 31, 2017, as prosecutors said there was a risk that evidence could be destroyed, and was officially charged on April 17.

In late February 2018, prosecutors demanded a 30-year prison sentence for Park. In addition, a fine of 118.5 billion won (about 90 million euros) should be enforced against them. Park was accused of having received or promised bribes of around 45 million euros from Samsung, Lotte and SK together with her confidante Choi Soon-sil . She is also said to have urged companies to donate 59 million euros to two foundations controlled by Choi.

On April 6, 2018, Park was sentenced to 24 years in prison by a court in Seoul. She also has to pay a fine of 18 billion won (approx. 14 million euros).

In July 2018, she was sentenced to eight years imprisonment in another trial, namely six years for illegally accepting large sums of money from the secret service, and a sentence of two years for illegally participating in the selection of candidates for parliamentary elections Intervened in 2016.

On August 24, 2018, the April 2018 sentence was increased by one year to 25 years before an appeals court. A fine of 15 million euros was also imposed. The court's reasoning was that Park would have accepted more bribes than previously thought. Park stayed away from the appeal because the process was politically motivated. The judgments of July and August 2018 relate to different counts, their sentences are added together.

In mid-January 2021, the Supreme Court of South Korea declared Park's conviction final after the trial was reopened in July 2020. The imposed prison sentence of 20 years for corruption and other crimes, as well as a fine of 18 billion won (13.5 million euros) was confirmed. Two more years of imprisonment were added for violations of electoral laws, which were not the subject of this court decision. The social-liberal Deobureo-minju party , which with Moon Jae-in also provides Park's successor as president, advocated a pardon for the politician as a symbol of national unity. In the population, a park pardon is considered controversial. Park was pardoned on December 24, 2021 as part of a "special amnesty " from President Moon Jae-in. Her health was cited as a reason for Park's pardon. She had to undergo several treatments for chronic shoulder and back problems in 2021.

literature

Web links

Commons : Park Geun-hye  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b South Korea's ex-President Park sentenced to 24 years in prison. tagesschau.de, April 6, 2018, accessed April 7, 2018 .
  2. ↑ a b Park Geun Hye: South Korea's ex-president sentenced to another eight years in prison . In: ZEIT ONLINE . ( zeit.de [accessed on July 20, 2018]).
  3. ↑ Lim Min-hyuk: Leaked US Embassy Cable Warned of 'Rasputin' Behind Park. In: Chosun Ilbo . October 28, 2016, accessed March 10, 2017 .
  4. ↑ Min-hyuk Lim: Leaked US Embassy Cable Warned of 'Rasputin' Behind Park . In: The Chosun Ilbo , October 28, 2016. 
  5. ↑ dpa: South Korea's new President Park Geun Hye takes office ( memento from March 30, 2013 in the Internet Archive ). Zeit Online , February 25, 2013.
  6. ↑ dpa: South Korea's President Park receives an honorary doctorate from the TU Dresden . Focus Online , March 28, 2014.
  7. ↑ Sören Kittel: Standing ovations for the President of South Korea. In: The world . March 28, 2014, accessed March 2, 2017 .
  8. ↑ With K-Pop against Kim Jong Un. In: Zeit Online. July 6, 2016, accessed March 2, 2017 .
  9. ^ Justin McCurry: Seoul shuts down joint North-South Korea industrial complex. In: the guardian. February 10, 2016, accessed March 2, 2017 .
  10. ↑ Bernhard Zand: China shows what it has. In: Spiegel Online. September 3, 2015, accessed March 2, 2017 .
  11. ↑ Ben Westcott, Paula Hancocks: South Korea's THAAD missile defense system gets land swap approval. In: CNN. February 27, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017 .
  12. ^ Joseph Yi: The Korea-Japan 'Comfort Women' Failure: A Question of History. In: The Diplomat. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2017 .
  13. ↑ Stephen Evans: Why South Korea is rewriting its history books. In: BBC News. December 1, 2015, accessed March 2, 2017 .
  14. ↑ Kim Bo-eun: Investigations into 'Choi Soon-sil gate' widening. In: The Korea Times . October 23, 2016, accessed October 30, 2016 .
  15. ↑ Fabian Kretschmer: Whirlwind about confidants of the President of South Korea. In: Deutsche Welle . October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2016 .
  16. ^ Ju-min Park: South Korea prosecutor indicts NPS chief in political scandal probe. In: Reuters. January 15, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2017 .
  17. ↑ (LEAD) Samsung braces for impact of leadership vacuum after arrest of Lee. Yonhap News, February 17, 2017, accessed February 17, 2017 .
  18. ↑ Park Si-soo: Park orders secretaries to resign over 'Choi Soon-sil scandal'. In: The Korea Times . October 29, 2016, accessed October 30, 2016 .
  19. ↑ Ex-Ewha Univ. chief arrested in corruption scandal. In: The Korea Times. February 15, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2017 .
  20. ↑ Bak Se-hwan: Special counsel indicts Kim, Cho over blacklist. In: The Korean Herald. February 7, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2017 .
  21. ↑ President Park named as bribery suspect in corruption probe. In: Yonhap News. February 28, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2017 .
  22. ↑ Kim Rahn: Park had 570 phone talks with Choi Soon-sil. In: The Korea Times. February 16, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2017 .
  23. ↑ Bae Hyun-jung: Park calls for sweeping reshuffle of presidential staff. In: The Korea Herald . October 30, 2016, accessed October 30, 2016 .
  24. ↑ a b Corruption affair in South Korea: Evidence incriminates President Park . tagesschau.de, accessed on November 20, 2016.
  25. ↑ South Korea: Hundreds of thousands against the president . tagesschau.de, accessed on November 13, 2016
  26. ↑ Choi Kyongae: (LEAD) Cheong Wa Dae says will take massive anti-gov't rally seriously. In: Yonhap . November 13, 2016, accessed November 13, 2016 .
  27. ↑ Patrick Welter: President Park ready to resign. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, November 29, 2016, accessed on November 29, 2016 .
  28. ↑ Parliament votes to impeach Park: 234 for, 56 against. In: The Korea Herald . December 9, 2016, accessed December 9, 2016 .
  29. ^ South Korean constitutional court rules President Park Geun-hye must leave office. In: Deutsche Welle. March 10, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2017 .
  30. ↑ Kang Jin-kyu: Park finally exits the Blue House. In: Korea JoonAng Daily. March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2017 .
  31. ↑ Korea's presidential election to be held May 9. In: The Korea Times . March 15, 2017, accessed March 23, 2017 .
  32. ↑ asc / dpa / AFP / Reuters: South Korea's ex-President Park in custody. In: Spiegel Online. March 30, 2017, accessed March 31, 2017 .
  33. ↑ Ex-President Park has to be arrested . tagesschau.de , March 31, 2017.
  34. ^ Indictment against South Korea's ex-president. (No longer available online.) In: ZDF heute. April 17, 2017, archived from the original on April 22, 2017 ; Retrieved April 17, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.heute.de
  35. ↑ South Korea's ex-president: Park faces 30 years imprisonment. tagesschau.de, February 27, 2018.
  36. ^ Judgment tightened: 25 years in prison for South Korea's former president . In: FAZ.NET . ISSN  0174-4909 ( faz.net [accessed August 24, 2018]).
  37. ↑ Judgment against ex-president confirmed . In: tagesschau.de, January 14, 2021 (accessed January 14, 2021).
  38. ↑ South Korea's ex-president Park is pardoned . In: Der Spiegel , December 24, 2021.
  39. ↑ Park Geun-hye: South Korea's ex-president granted government pardon . In. BBC News , December 24, 2021.
Note: In this article, the family name is placed before the person's first name. That is the common order in Korean. Park is the family name here, Geun-hye is the first name.
personal data
SURNAME Park, Geun-hye
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 박근혜 (Hangeul); 朴 槿 惠 (Hanja)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION South Korean politician and former president
BIRTH DATE February 2, 1952
PLACE OF BIRTH Daegu