Exhibition on Park Chung-hee to open ahead of 30th anniversary death

SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Yonhap) -- The nation's archives agency said Sunday that it will
open an exhibition of former President Park Chung-hee's personal articles this
week in an event marking the 30th anniversary of his death.

The 10-day special exhibition will be held at the National Palace Museum in
central Seoul from Tuesday, featuring 200 items donated by his family members,
including his daughter, Rep. Park Geun-hye years after his death in 1979, the
National Archives of Korea said.
Park, a lawmaker in the ruling Grand National Party, is the eldest daughter of
the former president and the current frontrunner in the next presidential race
scheduled for late 2012.
The articles include personal gifts from foreign leaders, such as the "Painting
of Mount Kumgang Fairies" that North Korean President Kim Il-sung conveyed to
Park on the occasion of his special envoy's secret Pyongyang visit in 1972, as
well as a blue ceramic pot that came with the painting and Kim's business card; a
moonrock from the Apollo 11 that was given by then U.S. President Richard Nixon;
and a stone lion statue from Taiwan's Chiang Kai-shek.
Personal items include his desk, letters and a sofa used by his wife, Yook
Young-su, the agency said.
"With this special exhibition, we hope to raise public recognition on the
significance of presidential records and documentation, as well as expand the
culture of donation," Park Sang-duck, president of the archives agency, said.
The general-turned-president came to office after staging a military coup in 1961
and ruled the country with unchallenged power. He was shot and killed by his
chief intelligence aid, Kim Jae-gyu, on Oct. 26, 1979. His legacy is contentious,
as his authoritarian power enabled the country's meteoric economic growth from
the rubble of the Korean War at the cost of democracy and human rights.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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