65 years of Queen Elizabeth II and Park Geun-hye

Jim Corbett, a legendary British hunter and author, wrote in the visitors’ register of Tree Tops Hotel located in a national park of Kenya, “For the first time in the history of the world, a young girl climbed into a tree one day a Princess, and she climbed down from the tree the next day a Queen.” When a woman in her twenties stayed in a hut built on the branches of a giant tree so that safari tourists could see wild animals closely on Feb. 5, 1952 and heard her father’s death overnight. She became his successor on next day on Feb. 6. She was Queen Elizabeth II.

Four days before Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne after George VI (the actual person of the movie "The King’s Speech" that depicts a stammering king), a baby, who will later be called as princess, was born in Korea. She was president Park Geun-hye. Queen Elizabeth II and President Park met at Buckingham Palace, London in 61 years later and the day was Nov. 5, 2013. On that day, Queen Elizabeth II gave the president the portrait of the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I who built the great British Empire on which the sun never sets and President Park often called as a role model.

A true royal queen has a different beginning. Princess Elizabeth persuaded her father and volunteered for the Auxiliary Territorial Service (the women’s branch of the British Army) when the Second World War broke out. She drove supply vehicles, changed truck wheels, repaired vehicles on a rough earth, and served with her fellow female soldiers. When the public criticized on astronomical budgets needed to restore the Windsor Castle from damages caused by fire in 1992, the queen gave up the tax-exemption status of the crown. That was the reason behind why Queen Elizabeth II was selected as the greatest queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain in a survey conducted in 2012, her 60 years on the throne, followed by Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth I.

She personally suffered many hardships such as divorce of her son, Prince Charles, and Princess Diana. However, she is still beloved and respected in Britain and across the globe as she continues to fulfill social responsibilities (noblesse oblige) regardless of her age. She will soon celebrate her 93rd birthday. Wish that President Park, who might not be able to complete her term due to the Choi Soon-sil gate, could follow the example of Elizabeth II, if she could not emulate Elizabeth I. President Park came to power like a princess. Now, a problem of how she would fall from power remains.