The most influential leader in Korean history

South Korea has endured a long and winding road to realize democracy. Although Korea takes pride in its history, the recent past is comparatively short and was at times chaotic. The Japanese colonial period delayed the development of Korean self reliance and the Korean War (1950-1953) created an antagonism between the two different ideologies. Since the 1960s people have tried hard to live better by working day and night, and providing more educational opportunities to their children.

Former President Park Chung-hee played a pivotal role in Korea's economic development. After the first president, Syngman Rhee, was forced out of office by the April 19 movement for mismanagement of economy and corruption, Park led a military coup on May 16, 1951, also known as the May 16 coup d'etat. The change was welcomed by those who were tired of the political chaos.

After Park began his presidency in 1961, he showed great leadership in economic reformation and strong political ruling power. The poor state of the South Korean economy at that time can be explained by its per capita income in 1961, which was $72. In the early 1960s, it was lower than that of even North Korea.

As Korea stirred with development, Park wanted to secure his power by maintaining his position as president. In pursuing this, he clamped down on personal freedom and the government became a dictatorship.

Nevertheless, Park is still credited as being the most influential president in Korean modern history, for his contribution to industrial and economic growth. He is recognized and respected as a most effective leader as well.

Now let's look at the saju of Park, to understand a crucial chapter in modern Korean history.





His day master is yang metal, which is considered the strongest element and often seen in conjunction with charismatic leadership. Since metal is a solid and hard material, people born with this element as day master are determined and daring.

Park was born in the month of water. The combination of metal and water lends to making a person calm and cold-hearted. Once a decision is made, nobody can deter them otherwise.

All four of Park's Earthly signs (branches) contain the most active elements among the 12 branch letters, which mean that they clash with one another. To be explained through nature, the metal of the "friend star" overwhelms the wood "money star," just as an axe chops wood. The water of the "expression star" puts out the fire of the "career star."

People with these conflicting elements in the active branches of their saju are often unable to lead stable lives. They push themselves to extreme situations for the achievement of their goals. They also experience lots of adversity in their life, from both minor and major accidents.

Although the dictatorship of Park's presidency was condemned by many, according to his saju, it was due to his strong passion for the development of nation. It was not only the people, but himself that was oppressed by his aims. Although his metal day master leads to stubborn decisiveness, the water expression star means flexibility and sensitivity, as well as a faith in integrity.

Now Korea has achieved great economic and democratic success, with the help of powerful presidents leading the people. Some were successful while others ended in tragedy. Some have left controversial legacies that have yet to be decided. But nobody can deny the fact that the current development is owed to our past. Future development will be even promising if we are able to learn a lesson from history.

The writer is the president of the Heavenly Garden, a saju research center in Korea, and the author of "Learning Four Pillars." For more, visit her Web site at http://blog.naver.com/janet_shin _ ED.