Chun Doo-hwan

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 Minister	Yoo Chang-soon Kim Sang-hyup Chin Iee-chong Lho Shin-yong Lee Han-key Kim Chung-yul
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	(1931-03-06)6 March 1931 Naisen-ri, Rigokku-men, Keishōnan-dō, Chōsen (now Hapcheon County, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea)
Died	23 November 2021(2021-11-23) (aged 90) Yeonhui-dong, Seoul, South Korea
Political party	Democratic Justice
Spouse(s)	Lee Soon-ja ​ (m. 1958)​
Children	Chun Jae-yong (son, 1959) Chun Hyo-sun (daughter, 1962) Chun Jae-guk (son, 1964) Chun Jae-man (son, 1971)
Alma mater	Korea Military Academy (B.S.)
Religion	Roman Catholicism, Buddhism (formerly) Protestantism (since 2010)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	South Korea
Branch/service	Republic of Korea Army
Years of service	1951–1980
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
Pen 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

This is a Korean name; the family name is Chun.

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

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 protests happened in Gwangju. Protestors looted 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

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

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

Chun died at his home in Seoul, on 23 November 2021 from cardiac arrest caused by blood cancer, aged 90.

Other websites

• Korean government website on Chun Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine

Preceded by Choi Kyu-ha

President of South Korea 1980-1988

Succeeded by Roh Tae-woo