"Severe Punishment for Jeon Du-hwan, Live Broadcast of First Trial Sentencing"

5·18 Historical Distortion Punishment Gwangju Movement Headquarters Statement Announcement

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] The 5·18 Historical Distortion Punishment Gwangju Movement Headquarters has called for a historic judgment to punish Jeon Du-hwan's crimes.

The organization issued a statement in front of the Gwangju District Court on the morning of the 25th, declaring, "Severely punish Jeon Du-hwan, the mastermind behind the 5·18 massacre."

They explained, "The criminal trial for defamation of the late Father Cho Bi-o is scheduled for a first trial verdict on November 30, 2020," adding, "Since the publication of Jeon Du-hwan's memoirs in April 2017 and the subsequent lawsuit, the process has been arduous, including the prosecution's non-custodial indictment in May 2018, Jeon Du-hwan's request to change the trial jurisdiction, absences from court citing Alzheimer's and flu, visits to golf courses and luxury restaurants, the court's issuance of a compulsory summons, and attendance at trials."

They continued, "The defamation trial involved 18 hearings with a total of 36 witnesses?28 for the plaintiff and 8 for the defendant. From the lawsuit to the first trial verdict took 3 years and 7 months, and from the prosecution's non-custodial indictment to the first trial verdict took 2 years and 6 months. Jeon Du-hwan attended only twice out of the 18 hearings."

They emphasized, "The citizens of Gwangju patiently followed the trial to bring Jeon Du-hwan to court and have him face legal judgment. During this process, additional witnesses who saw the helicopter shootings alongside Father Cho Bi-o were confirmed. Along with testimony from an ammunition management soldier, citizens who witnessed the helicopter shootings voluntarily came forward to vividly testify about the tense situation on that day in May 1980."

They added, "Despite the helicopter shootings being an undeniable fact, Jeon Du-hwan has persistently denied them and even claimed he was unrelated to the 5·18 incident, consistently evading responsibility. The court must severely punish Jeon Du-hwan, who denies the helicopter shootings, mocks the public with insincere court appearances, and shows no sign of remorse."

They also strongly asserted, "Since this trial is an important one to reveal the historical truth of the 5·18 Democratic Movement, it must be broadcast live. The court should live-stream the sentencing trial of Jeon Du-hwan so that the public does not miss this historic moment."

Furthermore, they expressed, "We expect the court to seriously accept the public demand to detain and punish Jeon Du-hwan and to deliver a historic judgment that condemns Jeon Du-hwan for hiding and denying the truth of the 5·18 massacre."