Park Chung-hee (30 September 1917 – 26 October 1979) was a Korean army general and President of South Korea from 1961 to 1979. Park seized power in a military coup d'état and ruled as an unelected leader until his formal election as President in 1963. He lead the country until his assassination in 1979. Park's presidency saw a period of economic reform in South Korea, whereby the economy shifted its focus to an export-led economy. However, Park was also a dictator and used emergency powers to curtail freedom of speech.