Park was born in Jeju-gun, Jeju City and graduated from Gyeongseong No. 1 High School,
Doshisha Higher Commercial School, and
Korea National Defense University. In 1949, he was commissioned as an officer in the
Republic of Korea Air Force, and in 1961 he was promoted to the rank of Major General of the Republic of Korea Air Force. He served as director of Trade Bureau of the
Ministry of Commerce and Industry, vice minister of Commerce and Industry, minister of Commerce and Industry, and deputy prime minister and
minister of the Economic Planning Board in 1967. After that, he held positions such as the chairman of the
Korea International Trade Association, the chairman of
Daewoo, and the chairman of the
Korea Institute of Science and Technology. In May 1980, when Prime Minister
Shin Hyun-hwak resigned due to the outbreak of the
Gwangju Uprising, he was appointed as the acting prime minister. Upon President
Choi Kyu-hah's resignation, Park became the acting
president of South Korea. He served in the role from 16 August 1980, until
Chun Doo-hwan was elected by the
National Conference for Unification on 27 August 1980. == References ==