Chun Doo-hwan

Last updated

Lee Soon-ja
(m. 1958)
pronounced [tɕʌndu.ɦwɐn] ; 18 January 1931 – 23 November 2021) was a South Korean politician, army general and military dictator [2] [3] [4] [5] who served as the fifth president of South Korea from 1980 to 1988. Prior to his accession to the presidency, he was the country's de facto leader from 1979 to 1980.

Contents

Chun usurped power after the 1979 assassination of president Park Chung Hee, who was himself a military dictator who had ruled since 1961. Chun orchestrated the 12 December 1979 military coup, then cemented his military in the 17 May 1980 military coup in which he declared martial law and later set up a concentration camp for "purificatory education". He established the Fifth Republic of Korea on 3 March 1981. He governed under a constitution somewhat less authoritarian than Park's Fourth Republic, but still held very broad executive power, and used extreme violence to maintain it. During his tenure, South Korea's economy grew at its highest rate ever, achieving the country's first trade surplus in 1986. [6] After the June Struggle democratization movement of 1987, Chun conceded to allowing the December 1987 presidential election to be free and open. It was won by his close friend and ally Roh Tae-woo, who continued many of Chun's policies during his own rule into the 1990s. [7]

In 1996, Chun was convicted by the Seoul High Court on multiple charges, including treason and insurrection, for orchestrating the 1979 coup d'état and unlawfully declaring martial law to subdue the National Assembly and suppress the Gwangju Uprising. The conviction was upheld by the Supreme Court in April of the following year; however, in December, President Kim Young-sam, on the advice of the incoming President-elect Kim Dae-jung whom Chun's administration had sentenced to death two decades earlierpardoned both Chun and Roh, the latter having been sentenced to 17 years. [8] [9] Chun and Roh were fined $203 million and $248 million respectively, amounts that were embezzled through corruption during their regimes, which were mostly never paid. [10] [11]

In his final years, Chun was criticized for his unapologetic stance and the lack of remorse for his actions as a dictator and his wider regime. [3] [12] Chun died on 23 November 2021 at the age of 90 after a relapse of myeloma. [4]

Early life and education

Chun was born on 18 January 1931 in Yulgok-myeon  [ ko ], a poor farming town in Hapcheon County, Korea, Empire of Japan. Chun's family is from the Wansan Jeon clan  [ ko ]. Chun was the fourth son out of ten children to Jeon Sang-u (전상우) and Kim Jeong-mun (김정문). [13] Chun's oldest two brothers, Yeol-hwan (열환) and Gyu-gon (규곤), died in an accident when he was an infant. Chun grew up knowing his remaining older brother Gi-hwan (기환) and his younger brother Gyeong-hwan  [ ko ].[ citation needed ]

Around 1936, Chun's family moved to Daegu, where he began attending Horan Elementary School. Chun's father had run-ins with the kempeitai in the past; in the winter of 1939 he murdered a police captain. [13] Their family immediately fled to Jilin, Manchukuo, where they stayed in hiding for two years before returning. When Chun finally started attending elementary school again, he was two years behind his original classmates.

In 1947, Chun began attending Daegu Vocational Middle School, located nearly 25 km from his home. [13] Chun moved on to Daegu Vocational High School.

In 1950, Chun fought in the Korean War as the part of the Student Volunteer Forces.

Military career

After graduating from high school in 1951, Chun gained entry into the Korea Military Academy (KMA). While there, he made several key friends among the students who would later play instrumental roles in helping Chun seize control of the country. He graduated in February 1955 with a Bachelor of Science degree and a commission as a second lieutenant in the 11th class of the KMA. He later trained in the United States, specializing in guerilla tactics and psychological warfare, and married Lee Soon-ja, the daughter of the KMA's commandant at the time of his attendance, in 1958. [14] [15]

Chun as captain, 1959 Army Captain Chun Doo-hwan.jpg
Chun as captain, 1959

Chun, then a captain, led a demonstration at the KMA to show support for the May 16 coup in 1961 led by Park Chung Hee. Chun was subsequently made secretary to the commander of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction, [14] [15] placing him directly under Park. Chun was quickly promoted to major in 1962, while continuing to make powerful friends and acquaintances. As a major, Chun was the deputy chief of operations for the Special Warfare Command's battle headquarters, and later worked for the Supreme Council for Reconstruction again as the Chief Civil Affairs Officer. In 1963, Chun was given a position in the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) as Personnel Director. By 1969, he was senior advisor to the Army Chief of Staff. [14] [15]

In 1970, holding the rank of colonel, Chun became the commander of the 29th Regiment, South Korean 9th Infantry Division, and participated in the Vietnam War. Upon returning to Korea in 1971, he was given command of the 1st Special Forces Brigade (Airborne) and later promoted to brigadier general. In 1976 he worked as the deputy chief of the Presidential Security Service and was promoted to the rank of major general during his time there. In 1978 he became the commanding officer of the 1st Infantry Division. [14] [15] According to The New York Times , President Park was said to have favored him over other military men of his age and to have treated him much like godson. [16]

Finally, in 1979, he was appointed commander of Security Command, his highest position yet.

Rise to power

Hanahoe

Chun formed Hanahoe as a secret military clique shortly after his promotion to general officer. It was predominantly composed of his fellow graduates from the 11th class of the KMA, as well as other friends and supporters. Membership was predominantly restricted to officers from the Gyeongsang Province with just a token membership reserved for a Cholla Province officer. Hanahoe's existence within a highly regimented and rigid hierarchical organization of the army was only possible because it was under the patronage of then President Park.[ citation needed ]

Assassination of Park Chung Hee

On 26 October 1979, Park was assassinated by Kim Jae-kyu, Director of the KCIA, while at a dinner party. Secretly, Kim had invited General Jeong Seung-hwa, Army Chief of Staff, and Kim Jeong-seop, Vice-Deputy Director of the KCIA, to dinner in another room that night as well. Although Jeong Seung-hwa was neither present during nor involved in the shooting of Park, his presence at the scene later proved crucial to his downfall. In the chaos that followed, Kim Jae-kyu was not arrested for many hours, as details of the incident were initially unclear.

After some confusion over the constitutional procedures for presidential succession, Prime Minister Choi Kyu-ha finally ascended to the position of Acting President. Soon after, Jeong named Chun's Security Command to head up the investigation into the assassination. Chun immediately ordered his subordinates to draw up plans for the creation of an all-powerful "Joint Investigation Headquarters". [17]

On 27 October, Chun called for a meeting in his commander's office. Invited were four key individuals now responsible for all intelligence collection nationwide: KCIA Deputy Chief of Foreign Affairs, KCIA Deputy Chief of Domestic Affairs, Attorney General, and Chief of the National Police. [17] Chun had each person searched at the door on his way in, before having them seated and informing them of the President's death. Chun declared the KCIA held full responsibility for Park's assassination, and its organization was therefore under investigation for the crime. Chun stated that the KCIA would no longer be allowed to exercise its own budget:

For the KCIA "to continue exercising full discretion of their budget is unacceptable. Therefore, they are only allowed to execute their duties upon receiving authorization from the Joint Investigation Headquarters."

Chun Doo-hwan, Security Command and Joint Investigation Headquarters commander, 27 October 1979

Chun subsequently ordered all intelligence reports to now be sent to his office at 8:00 am and 5:00 pm every day, so he could decide what information to give higher command. In one move, Chun had taken control of the entire nation's intelligence organizations. Chun then put the KCIA Deputy Chief of Foreign Affairs in charge of running the day-to-day business of the KCIA.

Major Park Jun-kwang, working under Chun at the time, later commented:

In front of the most powerful organizations under the Park Chung Hee presidency, it surprised me how easily [Chun] gained control over them and how skillfully he took advantage of the circumstances. In an instant he seemed to have grown into a giant.

Park Jun-kwang, assigned to Security Command and Joint Investigation Headquarters

During the investigation, Chun personally gave money (US$500,000) from Park's slush fund to Park's daughter Park Geun-hye, who was 27 at the time. He was reprimanded for this by Jeong. [18]

On 5 November, a preliminary report was released by Chun, placing full responsibility of Park's assassination on Kim and his associates. [19]

12 December mutiny

In the following month Chun, along with Roh Tae-woo, Yu Hak-seong, Heo Sam-su, and others from the Hanahoe, continued taking advantage of the fragile political situation to grow Hanahoe's strength, courting key commanders and subverting the nation's intelligence gathering organizations.

General Jeong, his superior, is a moderate figure in the armed forces and gave hints on multiple occasions that he supported the political liberalization process, as opposed to Chun, who favors keeping the Yushin Constitution intact. [20]

On 12 December 1979, amid a cabinet reshuffle, Chun ordered the arrest of Jeong on charges of conspiring with Kim Jae-kyu to assassinate Park. This order was made without authorization from President Choi. On the night of Jeong's capture, 29th Regiment, 9th Division, along with the 1st and 3rd Airborne Brigades, invaded downtown Seoul to support the 30th and 33rd Security Group loyal to Chun, which resulted in a series of conflicts that broke out in the capital. Jang Tae-wan, commander of the Capital Garrison Command, and Jeong Byeong Ju, commander of the special forces, were also arrested by the rebel troops. Major Kim Oh-rang, aide-de-camp of Jeong Byeong-ju, was killed during the gunfight. By the next morning, the Ministry of Defense and Army HQ were all occupied, and Chun was in firm control of the military. For all intents and purposes, he was now the de facto leader of the country. [21] [22] [23]

In early 1980, Chun was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general, and he took up the position of acting director of the KCIA. On 14 April, Chun was officially installed as director of the KCIA.

Coup, martial law and military crackdown in Gwangju

Memorial Hall in the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju where victims' bodies were buried Gwangju5.18FriedhofFotos.JPG
Memorial Hall in the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju where victims' bodies were buried

On 17 May 1980, Chun expanded martial law to the entire country, due to stated rumors of North Korean infiltration and presence of South Korean communist sympathizers in the country. The KCIA manipulated these rumors at the command of Chun. General John A. Wickham (commander of the US Armed Forces in Korea) reported that Chun's pessimistic assessment of the domestic situation and his emphasis on the North Korean threat only seemed to be a pretext for a move into the Blue House (the Korean presidential residence). [24]

To enforce martial law, troops were dispatched to various parts of the nation. The expanded martial law closed universities, banned political activities, and further curtailed the press. Political opponents such as the recently freed Kim Dae-jung was again arrested. The event of 17 May meant the beginning of another military dictatorship.

Many civilians were growing unhappy with the military presence in their cities, and on 18 May, the citizens of Gwangju organized protests into what became known as the Gwangju Democratization Movement. Chun ordered it to be immediately suppressed, sending in shock troops armed with heavy weaponry such as armored tanks and helicopters to retake City Hall and ordered the troops to exercise full force. This led to a bloody massacre over the next nine days, ultimately leading to the collapse of the protests and the deaths of at least 200 Gwangju activists. [25] For this, he was called "The Butcher of Gwangju" by many people, especially among the students. [26]

Path to the presidency

In June 1980, Chun ordered the National Assembly to be dissolved. He subsequently created the Special Committee for National Security Measures  [ ko ] (SCNSM), a junta-like organization, and installed himself as head of command. On 17 July, he resigned his position as KCIA Director, and then held only the position of committee member.

On 5 August, with full control of the military he effectively promoted himself to four star General and on 22 August he was discharged from active duty to the Army reserves.

Samchung re-education camp

Beginning in August 1980, citizens were subjected to organized violence under the name of social cleansing, which aimed at the elimination of social ills, such as violence, smuggling, illegal drugs, and deceptions. They were arrested without proper warrants and given ex parte rankings. Some 42,000 victims were enrolled in the Samchung re-education camp for "purificatory education". More than 60,000 people were arrested in six months between August 1980 and January 1981, including many innocent citizens. They faced violence and hard labour in the re-education camp. [27]

Dictatorship (1980–1987)

Chun Doo-hwan
전두환
Chun Doo-hwan (jeonduhwan) Presidential Portrait.jpg
Official portrait, 1980
5th President of South Korea
In office
1 September 1980 24 February 1988 [a]
Preceded by Choi Kyu-hah
Park Choong-hoon (acting)
Succeeded by Roh Tae-woo
Children4
Alma mater Korea Military Academy (BS)
Signature Chun Doo-Hwan signature.svg
Military service
Allegiance South Korea
Branch/service Republic of Korea Army
Years of service1951–1987
Rank General
Commands Defense Security Command, KCIA
Battles/wars Korean War
Vietnam War
Korean name
Hangul
전두환
Hanja
全斗煥
RR Jeon Duhwan
MR Chŏn Tuhwan
IPA [tɕʌndu.ɦwɐn]
  1. 1 2 Although his position became officially known as "President" from 1 September 1980 after an internal election which lacked universal suffrage, Chun rule was a continuance which had already begun since the military Coup d'état of December Twelfth in 1979.

References

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Chun Doo-hwan (jeonduhwan) Presidential Portrait.jpg
Official portrait, 1980
Presidency of Chun Doo-hwan
1 September 1980 25 February 1988 [a]
Political offices
Preceded by President of South Korea
1980–1988
Succeeded by