Park Geun-hye

Park Geun-hye, born on February second, nineteen fifty-two, in Daegu, is a prominent South Korean politician who made history as the first woman to be elected as head of state in both South Korea and East Asia. She served as the eleventh president of South Korea from two thousand thirteen until her removal from office in two thousand seventeen. As the eldest daughter of Park Chung Hee, the third president of South Korea, she previously held the role of first lady from nineteen seventy-four until her father's assassination in nineteen seventy-nine.

Before ascending to the presidency, Park was an influential figure in South Korean politics, leading the conservative Grand National Party from two thousand four to two thousand six and the Liberty Korea Party from two thousand eleven to two thousand twelve. Her political career also included four consecutive terms as a member of the National Assembly from nineteen ninety-eight to two thousand twelve, followed by a fifth term starting in June two thousand twelve. During her tenure, she was recognized as one of the world's most powerful women, ranking eleventh on Forbes' list in two thousand thirteen and two thousand fourteen.

Park's presidency was marred by controversy, culminating in her impeachment by the National Assembly on December ninth, two thousand sixteen, due to charges of influence peddling involving her aide, Choi Soon-sil. The Constitutional Court upheld her impeachment on March tenth, two thousand seventeen, making her the first South Korean president to be removed from office. Subsequently, she was sentenced to twenty-four years in prison for corruption and abuse of power, a sentence that was later increased to twenty-five years.

In two thousand eighteen, additional criminal cases led to an increase of seven years in her prison sentence. She was found guilty of illegally taking off-the-books funds from the National Intelligence Service and interfering in the Saenuri Party primaries during the two thousand sixteen legislative election. However, on December twenty-fourth, two thousand twenty-one, she was granted a pardon on compassionate grounds by President Moon Jae-in and was released from prison on December thirty-first, returning home three months later on March twenty-fourth, two thousand twenty-two.