Park Geun-hye is the eldest daughter of the late former president, Park Chung-hee. She will now return to the presidential residence 33 years after she left, becoming the first president to be related to a former head of state.
Park acted as de facto first lady to her father after her mother was assassinated in 1974. However, the disputed legacy of the Park senior, who took power in a 1961 coup and ruled the country until he himself was assassinated in 1979, has proved both a boon and an obstacle for his daughter.
The late president is credited with modernizing the domestic economy but is loathed for his ruthless suppression of dissent. Such pressure has prompted Park to repeatedly apologize for abuses under her father's reign.
Park was first elected to South Korea's National Assembly in 1998. She first sought the presidency in 2007, but her party nominated Lee Myung-bak, who went on to win the presidency.
Park, who likes to compare herself with former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and German chancellor Angela Merkel, also becomes the first woman to represent what is still a largely patriarchal society.
While Park's supporters say her win is a victory for all South Korean women, sceptics voice doubt whether someone who has never married or had children can really relate to women's issues.
Park has nonetheless vowed to achieve national unity and overcome partisan wrangling during her five year term.
For CRI, this is Alexandra Blucher.
