Park Geun-hye Urges Unity at Event Marking Park Chung-hee's Birthday

Speaking at a ceremony marking the 109th birthday of her father, former President Park Chung-hee, held in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, on the 14th, former President Park Geun-hye said, "Only by refraining from division and uniting as one can we pass on a prosperous nation to our descendants."

The former president also touched on security issues. "North Korea has not given up its nuclear weapons and is threatening our daily lives with landmine provocations and missile launches," she said, adding, "The prosperity we enjoy today was not given to us automatically; it was built through the sweat and tears of our fathers and mothers."

"We must endure the cold winter to welcome the warm days of spring," she told attendees. "I hope you will hold on to the hope that 'we can do it.'"