COVER STORY ASIA'S 100 MOST POWERFUL WOMEN
PARK
GEUN-HYE
Citizenship/Residence
South Korea
Park Geun-hye was sworn in as South Korea’s first female president in 2013. She is the
daughter of former South Korean President Park Chung-hee. The administrative vision
of President Park Geun-hye is “A new era of hope.” Her four confirmed administrative
priorities are achieving “economic revival,” “happiness for the people,” “cultural
renaissance,” and laying the “foundation for peaceful unification.”
She also is the first female head of state in the modern history of North-eastern Asia and is
the first South Korean president to have been born a South Korean citizen.
PENG LIYUAN
Citizenship/Residence
Beijing, China
68
Up Till October 15, 2015
Peng Liyuan “Chinese First
Lady” is a renowned Chinese
contemporary folk singer and
performing artist. She is President
of the People’s Liberation Army
Academy of Art and the wife of
current Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
In 2014, she was listed as the
57th most powerful woman in
the world by Forbes. Peng gained
popularity as a soprano singer from
her regular appearances on the
annual CCTV New Year’s Gala, a
widely viewed mainland Chinese
television program that airs during
the Chinese New Year. She has
won many honors in singing
competitions nationwide. Peng
was a civilian member of China’s
People’s Liberation Army and
held the civilian rank equivalent
to major general before she was
appointed the Art Academy’s dean,
upon which she was given the
formal rank. She was the first in
China to obtain a Master’s degree
in traditional ethnic music.