Park Tae-joon | |
---|---|
Born |
Busan, South Korea |
October 24, 1927
Died | December 13, 2011 | (aged 84)
Alma mater | Waseda University |
Occupation | Army general, politician and Honorary chairman of POSCO |
Korean name | |
Hangul | 박태준 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Bak Tae-jun |
McCune–Reischauer | Pak T‘ae-chun |
Pen name | |
Hangul | 청암 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Cheongam |
McCune–Reischauer | Ch'ŏngam |
Park Tae-joon (October 24, 1927 – December 13, 2011) was a South Korean general, politician, economic leader and author.
As an economic leader, he was called the "Korean Andrew Carnegie". He founded POSCO, which has been the world’s leading iron company for 25 years. As a politician, he served as prime minister. He was born in Busan. His pen name was Chungam.
He was born on the 24 October 1927 in Busan. When he was six years old, he moved to Japan where his father was working, and returned to Korea following the Korean emancipation from Japan.
Whilst in Japan he entered the University of Waseda but returned to Korea without graduating. Following his return he studied at the Korea Military Academy and became a 6th Graduate, followed by a time of study at National Defense University Graduate School.
He and other Korean military officers completed a bachelor´s degree in a four-year standard university as required by the government. They had served in the army without completing a standard degree course after the liberation and it was the government’s measure to build the Korea Military Academy (then called the South Korea Guard Academy) for officers to have a standard degree course (after 11th graduation). The government had noticed that they needed a commissioned education for officers to have bachelor´s degree course in government level. The degree awarded from Dankook University is the only one which is acknowledged by Korea.
In 1948, Park graduated from the Korea Military Academy and was then commissioned as shavetail. He was awarded the Chungmu Order of Military Merit and the Hwarang order of military merit after participating in the Korean War. He did not take part in May 16 coup, but entrusted his family in case of failing Park Chung-hee.
After the coup, he became a member of commerce[trade] and industry in Nation re-building supreme council and had a part in the first five-year Korea economic development plan.