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© Reuters. Former South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan leaves for a court docket in Seoul, South Korea, August 9, 2021. Yonhap by way of REUTERS
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By Hyonhee Shin
SEOUL (Reuters) -Former South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan, whose iron-fisted rule of the nation following a 1979 navy coup sparked huge democracy protests, died on Tuesday on the age of 90, his former press aide stated.
Chun had a number of myeloma, a blood most cancers which was in remission, and his well being had deteriorated not too long ago, his former press secretary Min Chung-ki instructed reporters. He handed away at his Seoul residence early within the morning and his physique was moved to a hospital for a funeral later within the day.
A former navy commander, Chun presided over the 1980 Gwangju military bloodbath of pro-democracy demonstrators, a criminal offense for which he was later convicted and obtained a commuted loss of life sentence.
His loss of life got here a few month after coup co-conspirator and succeeding President Roh Tae-woo https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-koreas-former-president-roh-tae-woo-dies-88-yonhap-2021-10-26, who performed an important however controversial function within the nation’s troubled transition to democracy, died at age 88.
An aloof, ramrod-straight Chun throughout his mid-Nineties trial defended the coup as mandatory to save lots of the nation from a political disaster and denied sending troops into Gwangju.
“I’m positive that I might take the identical motion, if the identical scenario arose,” Chun instructed the court docket.
Chun was born on March 6, 1931, in Yulgok-myeon, a poor farming city within the southeastern county of Hapcheon, throughout Japanese rule over Korea.
He joined the navy straight out of highschool, working his approach up the ranks till he was appointed a commander in 1979. Taking cost of the investigation into the assassination of President Park Chung-hee that 12 months, Chun courted key navy allies and gained management of South Korea’s intelligence businesses to headline a Dec. 12 coup.
“In entrance of probably the most highly effective organisations below the Park Chung-hee presidency, it stunned me how simply (Chun) gained management over them and the way skilfully he took benefit of the circumstances. Straight away he appeared to have grown into a large,” Park Jun-kwang, Chun’s subordinate throughout the coup later instructed journalist Cho Gab-je.
Chun’s eight-year rule within the presidential Blue Home was characterised by brutality and political repression. It was, nevertheless, additionally marked by rising financial prosperity.
Chun resigned from workplace amid a nationwide student-led democratic motion in 1987 demanding a direct electoral system.
In 1995, he was charged with mutiny, treason and was arrested after refusing to look on the prosecutors’ workplace and fleeing to his hometown.
At what native media dubbed the “trial of the century”, he and Roh had been discovered responsible of mutiny, treason and bribery. Of their verdict, judges stated Chun’s rise to energy got here “by unlawful means which inflicted huge injury on the folks”.
1000’s of scholars had been believed to have been killed at Gwangju, in line with testimonies by survivors, former navy officers and investigators.
Roh was given a prolonged jail time period whereas Chun was sentenced to loss of life. Nonetheless, that was commuted by the Seoul Excessive Courtroom in recognition of Chun’s function within the fast-paced financial growth of the Asian “Tiger” financial system and the peaceable switch of the presidency to Roh in 1988.
Each males had been pardoned and free of jail in 1997 by President Kim Younger-sam, in what he referred to as an effort to advertise “nationwide unity.”
An affiliation of survivors’ teams stated at a information convention on Tuesday that it was lamentable that Chun died with out apologising for the coup and Gwangju “bloodbath,” vowing to proceed looking for the reality and “justice of historical past.”
Chun made a number of returns to the highlight. He precipitated a nationwide furore in 2003 when he claimed complete belongings of 291,000 received ($245) of money, two canines and a few residence home equipment – whereas owing some 220.5 billion received in fines. His 4 kids and different kinfolk had been later discovered to personal massive swaths of land in Seoul and splendid villas in the USA.
Chun’s household in 2013 vowed to repay the majority of his debt, however his unpaid fines nonetheless totalled some 100 billion received as of final December. Seoul metropolis stated final week that his unpaid taxes exceeded 980 million received.
In 2020, Chun was discovered responsible and obtained an eight-month suspended sentence for defaming a late democracy activist and Catholic priest in his 2017 memoirs. Prosecutors have appealed, and Chun had confronted a trial subsequent week.
Chun had wished to be cremated and buried close to the border with North Korea, however his household would make a ultimate determination when his youngest son, dwelling in the USA, arrives, Min stated.
($1 = 1,188.3000 received)
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