Hundreds gather to celebrate launch of “Park Chung Hee Is History”

【Financial News, Andong = Reporter Kim Jang-wook】“We answer with historical records the question of what lifted this country, sunk in despair in those days, from the brink of death.”
Despite a sudden cold spell, hundreds of people (about 400, according to the organizers) gathered on the afternoon of the 7th at Millennium Forest in Pungcheon-myeon, Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, where a statue of former President Park Chung Hee stands.
They gathered to celebrate the launch of “Park Chung Hee Is History” (Jiwoo Publishing), a book by Lee Jae-hoon, chair of the history committee of the Korea-U.S. Alliance Council, an incorporated association.
The event proceeded with opening remarks by Seo Dong-jin, chair of the Korea-U.S. Alliance Council, followed by a welcome address from chair Son Myeong-won and congratulatory and encouraging remarks from former lawmaker Hwang Hak-sun (secretary-general of the Association of Former Members of the National Assembly), Lim Jeong-hyeok, former 40th director of the Legal Research and Training Institute, and Nodong-il, chief editorial writer at Financial News.
Lee, who was born at his maternal family’s home in Gumi (Seonsan), Gyeongsangbuk-do, said in his remarks, “I thought history should not be judged on the testimony of just one person,” adding, “I wanted to check for myself whether that person’s testimony matched other records.”
He said, “What mattered to me was not ‘who said it’ but ‘whether the records from that time support what was said.’” He explained, “The May 16 coup and the Yushin system, too, should be considered together with the nature of the actions, the conditions of the times and their historical consequences. This is not about covering up the shadows of lacking procedural legitimacy and authoritarian repression.”
Lee stressed, “I don’t think this book’s greatest distinction is that it is ‘a new book praising Park Chung Hee.’ It is a book that brings back records that have long been ignored or scattered and asks us to reexamine against the historical evidence the image of Park Chung Hee that we have come to believe is ‘common sense.’”
In his congratulatory remarks, Nodong-il, chief editorial writer at Financial News and a former professor at Kyung Hee University Law School, said, “In this book, the author has dissected, one by one and with documentary evidence, how all the filth that progressive leftists heaped on President Park Chung Hee was pure fiction.” He particularly highlighted this point and lavishly praised the author’s passion, noting the tremendous time and effort invested.
Editorialist No said emphatically, “The prerequisites for a great leader are: foresight to see through the challenges of the times; a sense of mission toward the nation and its people; and the decisiveness and ability to act needed to fulfill that mission despite criticism and opposition. Great figures who have made major contributions to history have often become targets of criticism. Paradoxically, being a target of criticism for a long time is itself proof of a person’s influence.”
He continued, “Now that we have learned through this book about the true nature of President Park Chung Hee, our task must not be simply to remain in nostalgia for Park Chung Hee. To produce a leader greater than President Park, we must move beyond Park Chung Hee and escape his shadow,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, published last July, “Park Chung Hee Is History” asks where the image of former President Park Chung Hee that we know came from. In the process, Lee looks back on tracing historical records and testimony for 20 years and emphasizes checking the sources and original texts behind conventional wisdom. The book traces and verifies through primary sources 14 issues surrounding Park Chung Hee that have long been accepted as fact.
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