Army general and politician; 11th and 12th President of South Korea
| Life | 1931 ~ 2021 |
| Era | 현대 |
| Clan | 전주 전씨 |
Chun Doo-hwan (1931-2021) was an army officer and politician from Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang, who served as the 11th and 12th President of South Korea. A member of the 11th class of the Korea Military Academy, he led the investigation into President Park's assassination as head of the Defense Security Command in 1979 and seized control of the army in the December 12 military coup. He came to power after the May 17, 1980 extension of martial law and the suppression of the Gwangju Uprising, and left office after the June 1987 democracy movement and the June 29 declaration for direct elections.
In 1996-97 courts convicted him of leading a military mutiny and an insurrection, among other offences, sentencing him to life imprisonment and about 220.5 billion won in forfeiture; he was pardoned in December 1997. In 2020 he received an eight-month suspended sentence for defaming the late Father Cho Bi-o over the Gwangju events. He died at his home in Yeonhui-dong, Seoul, on 23 November 2021.
He is presented as of the Jeonju (Wansan) Jeon, a 22nd-generation descendant of Jeon Jip and 13th of Jeon Je, born in Naecheon-ri, Yulgok-myeon, Hapcheon. The Wansan Jeon association has reportedly said it has only the seat in common with him. One article also labels him "Jeongseon Jeon (Wansan Jeon)", so sources differ.
Commissioned in 1955 (KMA class 11), he led cadet demonstrations in support of the 1961 coup and served in Vietnam. Made Defense Security Commander in March 1979, he arrested Army Chief of Staff Chung Seung-hwa on December 12 as head of the joint investigation headquarters, an act the courts later ruled a military mutiny.
Martial law was extended nationwide on 17 May 1980 and politicians were arrested; in Gwangju many citizens were killed in the military suppression that followed. After chairing the Standing Committee of the National Security Emergency Measures Council he retired from the army in August and was elected 11th President by the National Conference for Unification, then 12th President in 1981 under a revised constitution. After the June 29 declaration he handed power over peacefully in February 1988.
Assessments differ: some credit price stability and winning the 1988 Seoul Olympics, while others criticize media consolidation, the Samcheong re-education camps and human-rights abuses.
Arrested and indicted in 1995 after the May 18 special act, he was sentenced to death at first instance in 1996, to life on appeal, and in April 1997 the Supreme Court upheld convictions for leading a military mutiny and an insurrection, murder for insurrectionary purposes and bribery. About 220.5 billion won in forfeiture was ordered, and non-payment remained a controversy for years. In December 1997 he was pardoned and had his civil rights restored by the Kim Young-sam government on the recommendation of president-elect Kim Dae-jung.
In November 2020 he was convicted of defaming the late Father Cho Bi-o, whom his memoir called a liar for saying helicopters fired on Gwangju, and received an eight-month suspended sentence. Some proceedings were left unfinished because of his death.
He died aged 90 at his Yeonhui-dong home in Seoul on 23 November 2021. The funeral was a private family one rather than a state funeral, and his remains were cremated.
His remains were cremated and kept at his Yeonhui-dong home; any later burial place was not confirmed here.