May 16 coup

Date: May 16, 1961 • Location: Jongno-gu, Korea, Republic of

This milestone marked the outbreak and beginning of this historic period, which spanned 1961–1963.

Led by Park Chung Hee, the Military Revolution Committee carried out a bloodless coup against the government of Yun Po-sun in Seoul, ending the Second Republic of Korea.

Park Chung Hee was a South Korean politician and army officer who seized power in the May 16 coup of 1961, and served as the third President of South Korea from 1962 until his assassination in 1979. His regime oversaw a period of intense economic growth and transformation, making Park one of the most consequential leaders in Korean history, although his legacy as a military dictator remains a bitter subject.