Park Chung Hee’s Regime in the Mirror of Modern Russian Historiography

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the analysis of Russian researchers’ positions on main aspects of General Park Chung Hee rule in the Republic of Korea (1961–1979). While in Soviet period Park Chung Hee’s regime was considered as reactionary, Russian Koreanologists give more positive assessment to Park Chung Hee regarding him as an author of South Korea’s economic miracle. Russian researchers recognize Park’s economic policy as successful including his strategic economic planning and rural modernization. Russian Koreanologists focus attention not so much on the repressions as on modernization essence of Park’s regime. Russian researchers recognize that The May 16 military coup d’état organized by Park Chung Hee and his companions was a reaction to the national crisis and they were guided not only the pursuit of power but by national goals like the establishment of political stability, the economic recovery and the strengthening of the ROK’s military capabilities. Russian researchers think that regime of Park Chung Hee evolved from a soft authoritarianism with some elements of democracy in the period of the Third Republic (1963–1972) to an open dictatorship in the period of the Fourth Republic (1972–1979). In the same time modern Russian scientists have different opinions on the reasons of establishment of Yushin regime in 1972 and its influence on Korea’s development. While in Soviet period positive evaluation of Park Chung Hee was not possible due to ideological reasons the majority of modern Russian researchers demonstrate moderately positive attitude to President Park Chung Hee’s role in the Korean history.