Former President Jeon Du-hwan Nodded Off in Court but Nodded in Agreement When Denying Charges

Former President Jeon Du-hwan appears as a defendant at the Gwangju District Court on the 27th, answering questions from reporters. Jeon was brought to trial on charges of defamation for criticizing the late Father Jo Bi-o, who testified to witnessing helicopter gunfire during the May 18 Democratic Uprising, calling him "a shameless liar unworthy of being called a clergyman." Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] Former President Jeon Du-hwan (89), who appeared at the Gwangju District Court on the 27th on charges including defamation of the late Father Jo Bi-o, has been criticized for dozing off during the trial.

On the 27th, Cho Jin-tae, Executive Director of the May 18 Memorial Foundation, appeared on CBS's 'Sisa Jaki Jeong Gwan-yong imnida' and said, "He completely denied all the actions he took and acted brazenly. It confirmed once again that Jeon Du-hwan still does not think about apologizing or reflecting," emphasizing, "There is no answer other than to punish him severely."

He explained, "Watching the trial, it seemed he came determined to completely deny not only what he had done but also the contents written in his memoir. Although he dozed off intermittently, when his lawyer made claims denying, for example, the helicopter shooting, he nodded and showed a very deep expression of agreement."

Regarding whether Jeon apologized, he said, "It was an absurd and faint hope of ours, but once again, it was confirmed that Jeon Du-hwan still does not think about apologizing or reflecting at all."

Meanwhile, Jeon was indicted for defamation after claiming in his memoir published in April 2017 that the late Father Jo Bi-o's eyewitness testimony of helicopter shooting was false, and criticizing Father Jo as "a shameless liar unworthy of being called a clergyman," thereby damaging his honor.

Jeon had submitted a letter of absence citing health reasons and did not attend the trial after appearing once last year, but with the change of the presiding judge and renewal of the trial procedure, he appeared on this day.