Chun Doo-hwan | |
|---|---|
전두환 | |
_Presidential_Portrait.jpg) Official portrait, c. 1980–1988 | |
| 5th President of South Korea[a] | |
| In office 1 September 1980 – 24 February 1988 | |
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Choi Kyu-hah Pak Choong-hoon (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Roh Tae-woo |
| President of the Democratic Justice Party | |
| In office 15 January 1981 – 10 July 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Roh Tae-woo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 January 1931 Gosen, Keishōnan-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan[1] |
| Died | 23 November 2021 (aged 90) Yeonhui-dong, Seoul, South Korea |
| Political party | Democratic Justice |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Korea Military Academy (BS) |
| Religion | Korean Buddhism prev. Roman Catholic |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  South Korea |
| Branch/service |  Republic of Korea Army |
| Years of service | 1951–1987 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Defense Security Command, KCIA |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 전두환 |
| Hanja | 全斗煥 |
| Revised Romanization | Jeon Duhwan |
| McCune–Reischauer | Chŏn Tuhwan |
| Art name | |
| Hangul | 일해 |
| Hanja | 日海 |
| Revised Romanization | Ilhae |
| McCune–Reischauer | Irhae |
| Courtesy name | |
| Hangul | 용성 |
| Hanja | 勇星 |
| Revised Romanization | Yongseong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Yongsŏng |
Chun Doo-hwan (Korean: 전두환; Korean pronunciation: [tɕʌnduɦwɐn] or [tɕʌn] [tuɦwɐn]; 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.
Chun usurped power after the 1979 assassination of president Park Chung Hee. Park was himself a military dictator who had ruled since 1961. Chun orchestrated the 12 December 1979 military coup, then cemented his military dictatorship 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 would grow 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 would continue many of Chun's policies during his own rule into the 1990s.[7]
In 1996, Chun was sentenced to death for his role in the suppression of the Gwangju Uprising which led to the deaths of hundreds, possibly thousands, of citizens. Chun was pardoned the following year, along with Roh who had been sentenced to 17 years, by President Kim Young-sam, on the advice of the incoming President-elect Kim Dae-jung, whom Chun's administration had sentenced to death some 20 years earlier.[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]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ "Chun Doo Hwan". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
- ^ Borowiec, Steven (29 November 2015). "South Korea's ex-dictator Chun Doo-hwan tries to keep low profile in his twilight years". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
- ^ a b Goh, Da-Sol (17 December 2019). "Ex-S Korea dictator is belligerently unrepentant". Asia Times. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
- ^ a b Sang-Hun, Choe (23 November 2021). "Chun Doo-hwan, Ex-Military Dictator in South Korea, Dies at 90". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
- ^ "Scars still raw 40 years after dictator crushed South Korea uprising". South China Morning Post. 17 May 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
On May 18, 1980 demonstrators protesting against dictator Chun Doo-hwan's declaration of martial law confronted his troops and 10 days of violence ensued.
- ^ Lee Chul-ho (24 June 2021). "On the economy, a saint".
- ^ Hideko Takayama (19 June 2000). "Ghosts Of Cheju". Newsweek. Retrieved 30 March 2009.
- ^ Mufson, Steven (21 December 1997). "Two Jailed Leaders Pardoned in South Korea". Washington Post. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
- ^ Han, In Sup (2005). "Kwangju and beyond: Coping with past State Atrocities in South Korea". Human Rights Quarterly. 27 (3): 998–1045. doi:10.1353/hrq.2005.0037. ISSN 0275-0392. JSTOR 20069818. S2CID 144780531.
- ^ "Hunt for former South Korean tyrant Chun Doo-hwan's HK$1.1b cash stash". South China Morning Post. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
- ^ Sang′-Hun, Choe (10 September 2013). "Family of Former South Korean Dictator to Pay His Fines". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
In 1997, Mr. Chun was sentenced to life in prison and Mr. Roh to 17 years. Although they were later pardoned and freed, Mr. Chun and Mr. Roh failed to pay the $203 million and $248 million that they were fined.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Chun libel Gwangjuwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).