Park Geun-hye Inherits 'Iron Lady' Tag

A week after the death of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, President Park Geun-hye seems set to inherit the "iron lady" moniker in the international press.

The New York Times on Monday associated Park with the metal, the second prominent newspaper to do so after the Wall Street Journal.

"Her mother was shot by an assassin. Her father, a staunchly anti-Communist dictator, was similarly killed. And she survived a vicious razor attack to the face. Nobody doubts the toughness of South Korea's new president, Park Geun-hye, whose upbringing has made her as steely a leader as they come," the daily wrote.

Headlined "Steely Leader of South Korea Is Battle-Ready," the article went on to say, "She filled the top security posts in her cabinet and presidential staff with former generals and decided to offer no real concessions until the North backs down, a change from some past administrations."

But it added, "Now that South Korea's prized economy appears to be rattled by months of crisis, critics and supporters alike wonder if Ms. Park may have gone too far in presenting herself as an ultratough leader and what some now call the 'neuter president.' Just as some critics accused [former secretary of state] Hillary Rodham Clinton of becoming more hawkish to win over skeptics, Ms. Park took office seemingly ready to do battle."

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