Chun Doo-hwan

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Chun Doo-hwan
전두환
全斗煥
Chun Doo-hwan in 1983
5th President of South Korea
In office
1 September 1980 – 24 February 1988
Prime MinisterYoo Chang-soon
Kim Sang-hyup
Chin Iee-chong
Lho Shin-yong
Lee Han-key
Kim Chung-yul
Preceded byChoi Kyu-hah
Pak Choong-hoon (acting)
Succeeded byRoh Tae-woo
President of the Democratic Justice Party
In office
15 January 1981 – 10 July 1987
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byRoh Tae-woo
Personal details
Born(1931-03-06)6 March 1931
Naisen-ri, Rigokku-men, Keishōnan-dō, Chōsen
(now Hapcheon County, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea)[1]
Died23 November 2021(2021-11-23) (aged 90)[2]
Yeonhui-dong, Seoul, South Korea
Political partyDemocratic Justice
Spouse(s)
Lee Soon-ja (m. 1958)
ChildrenChun Jae-yong (son, 1959)
Chun Hyo-sun (daughter, 1962)

Chun Jae-guk (son, 1964)

Chun Jae-man (son, 1971)
Alma materKorea Military Academy (B.S.)
ReligionRoman Catholicism, Buddhism (formerly) Protestantism (since 2010)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance South Korea
Branch/service Republic of Korea Army
Years of service1951–1980
RankGeneral
CommandsDefense Security Command, KCIA
Battles/warsVietnam War
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationJeon Duhwan
McCune–ReischauerChŏn Tuhwan
Pen name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationIlhae
McCune–ReischauerIrhae
Courtesy name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationYongseong
McCune–ReischauerYongsŏng

Chun Doo-hwan (6 March 1931 – 23 November 2021) was a Korean military officer and the President of South Korea from 1980 to 1988. He was sentenced to death in 1996. Chun was later pardoned by President Kim Young-sam on the advice of then President-elect Kim Dae-jung, who was sentenced to death by Chun some 20 years earlier.

The road to power[change | change source]

Chun was a graduate of the Korean Military Academy in 1955. He was a member of Hanahoi, a powerful group of military officials that supported his actions. He was in charge of the investigation into the assassination of President Park Chung-hee. On 12 December 1979, in what became known as the Incident of December 12th, Chun ordered the arrest of Army Chief of Staff General Chung Sung Hwa (정승화, 鄭昇和) without authorization from then-President Choi Kyu-ha. He ordered the arrest as part of the investigation of his part in the assassination. Chung Sung Hwa resisted the arrest. This led to a bloody gun fight at the Army Headquarters and the Ministry of Defense. By the next morning, Chun and his fellow military academy graduates Roh Tae-woo and Jeong Ho-yong were in charge of the Korean military.

On 17 May 1980, Chun placed the entire country under martial law and disbanded the National Assembly. Many politicians were arrested, including liberal politician Kim Dae-jung. Kim was later sentenced to death in spite of protests from the United States. Later, Chun changed Kim's sentence in return for U.S. support. Protests across the nation became smaller. However, very violent prostests happened in Gwangju. Protestors Lootinglooted government building. They armed themselves with stolen guns and military jeeps. Protestors killed a couple of policemen and started of violent protest against the government. A couple of hundreds of protestors and some thirty soldiers were killed in the Gwangju. Choi resigned in August, and Chun was elected his successor by the National Conference for Unification, the South Korean electoral college, in September. In February 1981, Chun was elected president under a revised constitution as the candidate of the Democratic Justice Party (later renamed Democratic Republican Party).

Years in office[change | change source]

Chun ruled in an authoritarian manner. The 1981 constitution was less authoritarian than its 1972 predecessor, the Yushin Constitution, but still granted very broad powers to the president. However, it limited the president to one seven-year term. Chun did not try to change it so he could run for reelection in 1988.

By 1986, the general public was happy with the economic growth. However, there was much anger and hatred against Chun's regime by left-wing students who later became known as 386s. The left wing students led the nationwide June 1987 protests. In the same month, U.S. President Ronald Reagan sent a letter to Chun in support of the creation of "democratic institutions." On June 29th, Roh Tae-woo announced a program of reform. This included direct presidential elections, restoration of banned politicians including Kim Dae-jung, and other liberalizing measures. This won Roh instant popularity, and he was elected as the next president of South Korea. It later became known that Chun was responsible for this plan.

During Chun's visit to Rangoon, Burma (now Myanmar) in 1983, a bomb exploded at a mausoleum he was about to visit. The bomb killed 21 people, including South Korean Cabinet members. Chun himself did not die because he got there two minutes late. While no firm evidence of North Korean involvement has been found, they are widely thought to be responsible.

An embattled ex-President[change | change source]

In 1996, former presidents Chun and Roh were jailed on charges of corruption. On December 16, they were also found guilty of treason and mutiny as part of their takeover of power. Chun was sentenced to death. That sentence was changed to a life sentence. He and Roh were pardoned a year later.

Death[change | change source]

Chun died at his home in Seoul, on 23 November 2021 from cardiac arrest caused by blood cancer, aged 90.[3][4][5][6]

References[change | change source]

  1. "Chun Doo Hwan". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
  2. "Emergency officials say South Korean ex-President Chun Doo-hwan, who crushed pro-democracy protests in 1980, has died". Associated Press. 23 November 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  3. "Former South Korean military dictator Chun Doo-hwan dies at 90". Channel NewsAsia. 23 November 2021. Archived from the original on 23 November 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  4. Hyung-Jin Kim (23 November 2021). "Ex-South Korean strongman Chun Doo-hwan dies at age 90". Associated Press. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  5. Choe Sang-Hun (23 November 2021). "Chun Doo-hwan, Ex-Military Dictator in South Korea, Dies at 90". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  6. Hyonhee Shin (23 November 2021). "Former South Korean military dictator Chun Doo-hwan dies at 90". Reuters. Retrieved 23 November 2021.

Other websites[change | change source]

Preceded by
Choi Kyu-ha
President of South Korea
1980-1988
Succeeded by
Roh Tae-woo