- Born:
- January 18, 1931, Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang, Korea [now in South Korea]
- Died:
- November 23, 2021, Seoul, South Korea (aged 90)
- Title / Office:
- president (1980-1988), South Korea
- Role In:
- Gwangju Uprising
Chun Doo-Hwan
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Who was Chun Doo-Hwan?
Chun Doo-Hwan was a soldier and politician who served as president of South Korea from 1980 to 1988. Born into a peasant family, he graduated from the Korean Military Academy in 1955. After President Park Chung Hee's assassination in 1979, Chun took charge of the investigation and subsequently purged his rivals in a military coup, gaining power.
In 1980, Chun became president and implemented a new constitution. His tenure was marked by efforts to maintain economic growth and political stability, along with crises such as a financial scandal in 1982 and an assassination attempt in 1983. After leaving office, Chun was indicted on charges of bribery and his involvement in the 1979 coup and the 1980 uprising in Kwangju. He was initially sentenced to death, later reduced to life imprisonment, and eventually received a presidential pardon. Chun died in Seoul on November 23, 2021.
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When did Chun Doo-Hwan become president of South Korea?
Chun Doo-Hwan became the president of South Korea on August 27, 1980, after President Choi resigned on August 16. Prior to this, Chun resigned from the army. He pushed through a new constitution in late 1980, while the country was still under martial law, which allowed him to govern firmly. He served as president until 1988.
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How did Chun Doo-Hwan come to power?
After President Park Chung Hee's assassination in 1979, Chun Doo-Hwan, as army security commander chief, investigated the death, arresting suspects, including Army Chief of Staff Gen. Chung Seung-Hwa. He purged Chung’s supporters in a military coup, becoming the real power holder despite Choi Kyu Hah being the official president. In April 1980, Chun became head of the KCIA.
In May 1980, the military, under Chun’s leadership, suppressed democratic opposition in Gwangju, declaring martial law. After Choi resigned in August, Chun resigned from the army and became president on August 27. He then introduced a new constitution that granted him significant control. In August 1980, Chun Doo-Hwan was elected president by the National Conference for Unification (NCU).
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What major events happened during Chun Doo-Hwan's presidency?
Chun Doo-Hwan's presidency in South Korea, from 1980 to 1988, was marked by significant events and developments:
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Rise to Power Following President Park's assassination in 1979, Chun, as army security commander, took charge of the investigation and gained power through a coup, eventually becoming president in August 1980.
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Gwangju Uprising In May 1980, the military under Chun's leadership suppressed a pro-democracy protest in Gwangju, resulting in many casualties.
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Fifth Republic Chun was elected president in August 1980. A new constitution was approved in October, which ushered in the Fifth Republic.
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Economic Growth South Korea experienced rapid industrialization and export-led economic growth under Chun.
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Political Stability Efforts Chun focused on maintaining political stability throughout his tenure.
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Rangoon Bombing In October 1983, North Korean agents bombed Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar), killing several members of the South Korean government.
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Constitutional Reform By 1987, widespread dissatisfaction with the government led to Roh Tae-Woo's announcement of constitutional reforms to restore democratic institutions.
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Why was Chun Doo-Hwan’s presidency controversial?
Chun Doo-Hwan's presidency in South Korea was controversial due to his rise to power and the suppression of democratic movements. After President Park's assassination in 1979, Chun seized control through a coup, gaining power in December 1979. In May 1980, under Chun’s leadership, the military brutally suppressed a pro-democracy protest in Gwangju, resulting in many deaths.
Elected president in August 1980, Chun governed with a firm hand under martial law. His tenure was marked by political scandals, such as a financial scandal in 1982, and an assassination attempt in 1983. Despite efforts to maintain economic growth, Chun faced widespread dissatisfaction, leading to democratic reforms in 1987. After his presidency, Chun was indicted and convicted on charges of bribery, mutiny, and treason, though he later received a presidential pardon.
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What happened to Chun Doo-Hwan after he left office?
After leaving office in 1988, Chun Doo-Hwan faced scrutiny for his actions as president of South Korea. In December 1995, he and Roh Tae Woo were indicted on charges of accepting bribes during their presidencies. The public outcry over the scale of the fraud led to additional charges related to the 1979 coup and the 1980 uprising in Kwangju.
In August 1996, Chun was found guilty on all charges and initially sentenced to death. His sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment, and in December 1997, he received a presidential pardon.
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Chun Doo-Hwan (born January 18, 1931, Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang, Korea [now in South Korea]—died November 23, 2021, Seoul, South Korea) Korean soldier and politician who was president of South Korea from 1980 to 1988.
Born into a peasant family, Chun entered the Korean Military Academy in 1951. Following his graduation in 1955, he became an infantry officer and in 1958 married Lee Soon Ja, daughter of Brig. Gen. Lee Kyu Dong. Chun commanded a South Korean division in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War and rose rapidly through the ranks. After Park Chung Hee seized power in 1961, Chun served as civil service secretary for the junta (1961–62) and, in 1963, with the nominal restoration of civilian government, as chief of personnel of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA; now the National Intelligence Service). He served in various other official posts and was made a brigadier general in 1978.
After the assassination of President Park in 1979, Chun, as the chief of army security command, took charge of the investigation of his death. In December 1979 he arrested several suspects, including his rival, the army chief of staff, Gen. Chung Seung-Hwa(Jeong Seung-Hwa). Following these arrests, he purged many of Chung’s supporters in a virtual coup by one military faction against another. Although the official president was Choi Kyu Hah, Chun emerged as the real holder of power, and in April 1980 he became head of the KCIA. In May the military under Chun’s leadership dropped all pretense of civilian rule, declared martial law, and brutally suppressed democratic civilian opposition in the city of Gwangju.
After President Choi resigned on August 16, Chun resigned from the army and on August 27 became president. With the country still under martial law, Chun pushed through a new constitution in late 1980 that allowed him to govern with a firm hand. Chun’s tenure was punctuated by several crises, notably a financial scandal in 1982 that forced him to replace half his cabinet and an assassination attempt in Burma (Myanmar) by North Korean agents in 1983 that resulted in the deaths of several top aides and ministers. As president, Chun devoted his efforts to maintaining economic growth and political stability. South Korea continued its export-led economic growth under Chun, and the nation industrialized rapidly.
Chun was prohibited by the terms of the 1980 constitution from serving more than one seven-year term, and in 1987 he picked Roh Tae Woo to be the candidate of the ruling Democratic Justice Party (now part of the Grand National Party). He retired from politics after being succeeded by Roh in 1988. Despite public gestures of atonement for abuses of power during his presidency, Chun could not distance himself from the lingering public memory of his actions. In December 1995 both he and Roh were indicted on charges of having accepted bribes during their terms as president. In addition, the outcry over the extent of the fraud (hundreds of millions of dollars) prompted prosecutors to pursue charges (which had been brought by the prosecutor’s office in 1994) related to their involvement in the 1979 coup and their actions during the 1980 uprising in Kwangju. Both were found guilty of all charges in August 1996. Chun was sentenced to death and Roh to 221/2 years in prison. Chun’s sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment and Roh’s to 17 years; both received presidential pardons in December 1997.