Chun Doo-hwan

Chun Doo-hwan was a high-ranking South Korean army general. He served as the fifth president of South Korea from 1980 to 1988. His leadership period is known as the Fifth Republic of Korea. Chun ruled the nation as a military dictator. He came to power through a series of successful military coups.

This means he used the military to seize control of the government. His era remains a significant part of South Korean history due to his methods of rule.

Chun's journey began in a poor farming town in Hapcheon County. He was the fourth son in a family of ten children. His family moved to Daegu around 1936. During the Korean War in 1950, he fought as part of the Student Volunteer Forces. He later entered the Korea Military Academy and graduated in 1955.

He received a Bachelor of Science degree and became a second lieutenant. He also trained in the United States in psychological warfare and guerrilla tactics. These specialized skills helped him rise through the military ranks.

As Chun rose in rank, he formed a secret group called Hanahoe. This was a military clique made of his fellow graduates from the Korea Military Academy. The group was mostly composed of officers from the Gyeongsang Province. Chun used this group to build influence within the rigid hierarchy of the army. This secret network was vital for his later rise to power. He used his connections to secure high-level positions, including the command of the Security Command in 1979.

Political chaos allowed Chun to seize control of the country. In October 1979, President Park Chung Hee was assassinated. This event left the government in a state of confusion regarding succession. Chun used his position in the Security Command to lead the investigation. He quickly took control of the nation's intelligence organizations. In December 1979, Chun orchestrated a military coup d'état. He arrested his superior, General Jeong Seung-hwa, without authorization. By early 1980, Chun had become the de facto leader of South Korea.

In May 1980, Chun expanded martial law to the entire country. Martial law is the use of military authority to govern instead of ordinary laws. He closed universities and banned political activities. This period included a violent crackdown in the city of Gwangju. Citizens there organized the Gwangju Democratization Movement to protest. Chun responded by sending in troops with armored tanks and helicopters. This resulted in a massacre where at least 200 activists died.

For this, many people called him "The Butcher of Gwangju."

Despite the political violence, the South Korean economy saw massive changes. During Chun's tenure, the economy grew at its highest rate ever. In 1986, the country achieved its first trade surplus. A trade surplus happens when a country exports more than it imports. However, the public continued to demand more democratic freedoms. The June Struggle of 1987 was a major democratization movement. This pressure forced Chun to allow a free and open presidential election in December 1987. His ally, Roh Tae-woo, won that election.

Chun's legal history involved serious charges of corruption and treason. In 1996, the Seoul High Court convicted him for orchestrating the 1979 coup. He was also found guilty of subduing the National Assembly and the Gwangju Uprising. The Supreme Court upheld this conviction in 1997. Chun and Roh Tae-woo were fined huge amounts of money for embezzlement. These fines were $203 million and $248 million, respectively. Later that year, President Kim Young-sam pardoned both men. Chun died in 2021 at the age of 90 after a relapse of myeloma.