Park set to win South Korean presidential election [View all]
Source: Reuters
The daughter of a former military ruler took a commanding lead in South Korea's presidential election on Wednesday, putting her on track to become the country's first woman head of state.
A win for 60-year old conservative Park Geun-hye would see her return to the presidential palace where she served as her father's first lady in the 1970s, after Park's mother was assassinated by a North Korean-backed gunman.
With more than 70 percent of the votes counted, Park led with 51.6 percent to 48 percent for her left-wing challenger, human rights lawyer Moon Jae-in.
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Park will take office for a mandatory single, five-year term in February and will face an immediate challenge from a hostile North Korea and have to deal with an economy in which annual growth rates have fallen to about 2 percent from an average of 5.5 percent in the past 50 years.
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The legacy of her father, Park Chung-hee, who ruled for 18 years and transformed the country from the ruins of the 1950-53 Korean War into an industrial power-house still divides Koreans.
For many conservatives, he is South Korea's greatest president and the election of his daughter would vindicate his rule. His opponents dub him a "dictator" who trampled on human rights and stifled dissent.
Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/south-korea-votes-tight-race-economy-jobs-022311957--business.html;_ylt=AuNTnlLx.ZxgMi.LOfxv3OpvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTNuZHVxc3U1BG1pdANNZWdhdHJvbiBXb3JsZARwa2cDNDI1ODQxZWUtYTVjYi0zMzI3LTlkMzItMjk3NTgxMThiMTcwBHBvcwMxBHNlYwNtZWdhdHJvbg
The dictator's daughter won the South Korean Presidential election. Her nickname is appropriately "Princess Park".
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