Former Pres. Park commemorates 50th anniversary of her mother’s death

Former President Park Geun-hye visited her late mother Yuk Young-soo’s birthplace in Okcheon, North Chungcheong Province, on Wednesday, a day before the 50th anniversary of her mother’s death. This was Park’s first visit in 12 years, having last visited the site before the 2012 general elections as chairman of the Saenuri Party's emergency measure committee.

During her visit, Park was accompanied by close associates, including Rep. Yoo Young-ha of the People Power Party and Park Deok-heum, whose constituency includes Okcheon. She toured the birthplace, looked at photographs, and engaged in conversation with visitors. When local residents came to greet her, Park wished them well and advised them to stay healthy in the intense summer heat.

Rep. Yoo noted in a phone call that Park visited the birthplace to mark the 50th anniversary of her mother’s death, reflecting on old memories as she looked at photos of her mother. On August 15, 2023, Park had previously visited the birthplace of her father, the late President Park Chung-hee, in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province.

On August 15 each year, the Yuk Young-soo Memorial Project holds a memorial service at the National Cemetery in Seoul, where the deceased is buried. The former First Lady was killed on August 15, 1974, by a bullet fired by North Korean agent Moon Se-kwang during a Liberation Day ceremony at the National Theatre in Jangchung-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul.


조권형 기자 buzz@donga.com