park chung-hee is one of the former presidents of south korea and he was born in gumi in 1917. gumi became prosperous during his presidential term. the gyeongbu expressway and gyeongbu line railway, which are the principal traffic routes of the country, were built to pass through the city. the routes could have been connected directly from daejeon to daegu. the rapid economical growth of gumi resulted from the president’s care for his hometown.