Yuk Young-soo

Yuk Young-soo (; 29 November 1925 – 15 August 1974) was the wife of the 3rd South Korean president Park Chung Hee and the mother of the 11th South Korean president Park Geun-hye. She was the first lady when Park was in office, from 1962 until she was killed in 1974 during an attempted assassination of her husband.

Early life

Yuk was born in Okcheon County, Chūseihoku Province, Korea, Empire of Japan, in 1925. She was the second of three daughters of a prosperous self-made landlord. She graduated from Paihwa Girls' High School. In August 1950, she met Park Chung Hee through a relative who was serving under Park. On 12 December 1950, she married Park Chung-hee. While her mother supported her choice of husband, Yuk's father was against the match, so she married without his blessing.

First Lady When Park Chung-hee was in the mission as the chairman of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction, Yuk Young-soo's main interest was handling civil complaints. Jeong Jae-hoon, a disciple and secretary of the First Lady's Office for six years, recalled:

"We have conversations with as many people as possible to collect public opinion on the streets, and dozens of complaints a day are left with instructions. I made them run."

Yuk Young-soo always made a simple impression on people regarding hanbok and elegance and was a sincere wife to her husband at home. She also took great interest in children and health, often visiting orphanages and nurseries to develop policies for children's health. During her husband's tenure, she mainly took care of receiving guests and dealing with complaints, although she wanted to do her part as "a revolutionary's wife." She was also involved with the Red Cross and with children with autism. In 1970, the construction of Children's Grand Park started and it opened the following year.

Death At 10:23 a.m., 15 August 1974, on the anniversary of the liberation of Korea, Yuk was shot by Mun Se-gwang, a Zainichi Korean and North Korean sympathizer, during an attempt by Mun to assassinate President Park Chung-hee.

The assassination occurred at the Seoul National Theater of Korea during an Independence Day ceremony. Mun intended to shoot Park in the theater lobby. However, his view was obstructed, and he was forced to enter and be seated near the back of the theater. During Park's address, he attempted to get closer to the President but inadvertently fired his Smith & Wesson Model 36 revolver prematurely, injuring himself. Having alerted security, he then ran down the theater aisle firing wildly. His second bullet hit the left side of the podium from which Park was delivering his speech. The third bullet was a misfire. His fourth bullet struck Yuk Young-soo in the head, seriously wounding her. His last bullet went through a flag decorating the rear of the stage. A bullet fired by Park Jong-gyu, a member of the President's security detail, in response to Mun's attack, ricocheted off a wall and killed a high school student, Jang Bong-hwa. Immediately following the capture of Mun, Park resumed his scheduled speech despite his wife being wounded and carried from the stage. Following its completion he picked up his wife's handbag and shoes and left.

Yuk was rushed to the Seoul National University Hospital in Wonnam-dong, central Seoul. Dr. Shim Bo-seong, who was chief of the hospital's neurosurgery department, began operating on Yuk at 11 a.m., which lasted for over five hours. The bullet damaged the largest vein on the right side of her brain and remained lodged within the brain. The surgery was unable to save her life and she died at 7:00 p.m. that same day.

Aftermath Yuk was buried in a state funeral on 19 August 1974 at Seoul National Cemetery. After the assassination of Park Chung Hee, he was buried next to her. Park composed a poem the day after Yuk's state funeral.

Park Geun-hye then became the First Lady of South Korea after returning urgently from her studies in France at the Joseph Fourier University. She held this position for five years, until her father's assassination in 1979. On her 42nd death anniversary, a concert was organized in her memory in Seoul.

Honours

Personal life

Yuk Young-soo and Park Chung-hee had three children: daughters Park Geun-hye, the 11th president of South Korea, as well as Park Geun-ryoung and a son Park Ji-man.

Yuk Young-soo was a devout Buddhist and a devotee of Doseonsa in Seoul.