Coup d'état of May Seventeenth

The Coup d'état of May Seventeenth (Korean: 5.17 내란; Hanja: 五一七內亂) was a military coup d'état carried out in South Korea by General Chun Doo-hwan and Hanahoe that followed the Coup d'état of December Twelfth.

On May 17, 1980, Chun forced the Cabinet to extend martial law to the whole nation, which had previously not applied to Jeju-do. The expanded martial law closed universities, banned political activities and further curtailed the press. To enforce the martial law, troops were dispatched to various parts of the nation. On the same day, the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) raided a national conference of student union leaders from 55 universities. About 2,700 people, including 26 politicians, were also arrested. On May 18, 1980, citizens of Gwangju rose up against Chun's military dictatorship and took control of the city. In the course of the uprising, citizens took up arms to defend themselves, but were ultimately crushed by the army.

On May 20, 1980, Chun and Roh Tae-woo ordered the National Assembly to be dissolved by deploying troops in the National Assembly. Chun subsequently created the National Defense Emergency Policy Committee, and installed himself as a member. On July 17, 1980, he resigned his position as KCIA director, and then held only the position of committee member. In September 1980, President Choi Kyu-hah was forced to resign as president to give way to Chun.

Background

On October 26, 1979, President Park Chung Hee was assassinated by the leader of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA). Under Park, South Korea was an undemocratic and autocratic state. After his assassination, South Korea entered a state of transition, with attempts made to transform South Korea into a democratic nation. Despite these attempts, the Yushin Constitution was not abolished and military and authoritarian rule remained in place.

Choi Kyu-hah, who was the prime minister at the time, was appointed acting president to succeed Park. With Choi in power, restrictive regulations under Park were repealed and opposition leaders and activists, such as Kim Dae-jung, were freed from restraint. Choi later became the official president of South Korea on December 6, 1979.

Army General Chun Doo-hwan, the head of the Military Security Command, was appointed to investigate the assassination of Park. During this time Chun found opportunities to seize power. Chun took control of the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA) on December 12, 1979, after he arrested Jeong Seung-hwa, chief of staff of the ROKA and the commander of martial law, in addition to the other forces that would threaten his ideals. On December 14, two days after gaining control of the ROKA, Chun began to appoint allies from the Korean Military Academy to powerful seats in the military to gain total control of the military forces of South Korea. For example, Roh Tae-woo, who would later become president of South Korea, was appointed commanding general of the Capital Security Command.

Chun continued to strengthen his power during the early months of 1980. Citizens of South Korea began a series of demonstrations, known as the Seoul Spring, to express their discontent. The Seoul Spring is a term that came from the Prague Spring of Czechoslovakia in 1968, and refers to the democratic and political liberation desires of the people of South Korea. Demonstrations from the citizens continued and reached its peak in mid-May 1980. The army was utilized to suppress the movement, using armed troops and armored vehicles. Despite the counter measures of the military, the center of Seoul was crowded with demonstrators on May 14 and more than 100,000 students gathered in the front of Seoul Station.

Day of the coup

Starting March 1980, with the government's continued implementation of the Yushin system, martial law, and the failure for the government to progress forward, citizens of South Korea, with the involvement of students being significant, came together to begin the Seoul Spring demonstrations. In addition, tensions rose even more as although South Korea had a president, Choi, the real political power was held by Chun and his group of officers. Demonstrations were intensified to call for an end to Chun's rule. By May, the demonstrations became enormous and the center of Seoul was packed with those participating in the demonstrations. The government retaliated against the demonstrators by sending armed troops and armored vehicles. On May 17, 1980, Chun declared Martial Law Decree No. 10, which strengthened martial law and expanded its reach across the whole nation. In addition, actions that would pose a threat to the government were restricted; such as public criticism from broadcasting and publications and political gatherings, also universities were closed and labor strikes were banned, and the demonstrations that yearned for a democracy were put to an end. In addition to the expansion of martial law, political figures were apprehended. These figures were; Kim Dae-jung, Kim Yong-sam, Kim Jong-pil and Yi Hu-rak. The coup of March 17 abruptly put an end to the Seoul Spring demonstrations and prolonged the period of authoritarian rule.

Martial law of 1980s South Korea

Due to the enforcement of the martial law: South Korean universities were shut down, newspaper offices were closed, and any political activity that went against the policies of Chun were strictly banned. All public gatherings over three people were also forbidden, except funerals. With the Korean news media muzzled by martial law, only the handful of foreign correspondents present could publish reports on what was happening in Gwangju – no easy task, given the army cordon. Telephone lines had been cut by the military; some reporters walked miles to villages to line up at the nearest phones still working. Soon after, Chun broadened the terms of martial law into the entire country of South Korea and rigorously kept in check with suspicious activities that seemed to be promoting democracy. Thus all pro-democracy leaders including students were considered as traitors or anti-government criminals. Police squads were sent to guard and raid the homes of individuals that promoted rebellion against Chun as well as to the homes of university students, most notably Chonnam National University in Gwangju. It was only then in March 1980 when restricted universities were reopened and suppressed individuals including professors and certain students were allowed to return to the universities. By May 21, up to 200,000 people were fighting against 100,000 troops. By Martial Law Command's own accounts demonstrators had commandeered four armored trucks, 80 jeeps and 50 trucks. They also seized 3,500 carbines and pistols, two light machine guns, and more than 46,000 rounds of ammunition.

The role of the Shin-gun-bu (New Military Group)

While the collapse of the Yushin System came after the assassination of Park, the fall of a personal leader did not end military reign; instead the shin-gun-bu (often called the New Military Group) took the spot vacated by the former president. There were significant differences between Park's regime and the new regime, the most significant factor being that they played different roles as someone in the ruling position. Park's regime had a positive impact on economic development and offered political stability for a nation that was just building; Chun's regime on the other hand aimed to open up the political and economic system. As a result, hundreds of citizens were killed and eventually the regime lost it legitimacy.

On May 18, the Shin-gun-bu, or the New Military Group, proclaimed Martial Law Decree No. 10 which banned political activities, closed universities by force, and censored the media in the country. This led to university students in Gwangju initiating an uprising known as the 5.18 movement.

See also

• Coup d'état of December Twelfth
• History of South Korea
• Fifth Republic of Korea