[Jeon Du-hwan Death] Leader of the Rebellion, Total Assets 290,000 Won... Presidential Honors Revoked

Former President Park Jeonghee's Right-Hand Man
Seized Military Control in 12·12 Coup
Bloody Suppression of Gwangju Democratization Movement

Rose to Presidency and Blossomed Economic Development Policies During Tenure
Faced Growing Demands for Direct Election Constitutional Amendment

Arrested and Prosecuted in 1995 After Leaving Office
Pardoned by President Kim Youngsam After Two Years
Died at Home at Age 90 While on Trial for Criticizing Father Jobio

Former President Jeon Du-hwan passed away on the 23rd at the age of 90.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The life of former President Jeon Du-hwan, who passed away on the 23rd at the age of 90, spanned modern Korean history. Starting as the right-hand man of the late former President Park Chung-hee, through a military coup, the ruthless suppression of the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement, and the economic growth period of the 1980s, former President Jeon was always positioned somewhere within the light and shadow of modern Korean history.

He was born in 1931 in Naecheon-ri, Yulgok-myeon, Hapcheon-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do. His father was a farmer. He had 11 siblings, six brothers and five sisters, and Jeon Du-hwan was the fourth son. When he was five, his family moved to Daegu, where he lived until high school. In 1951, during the Korean War, he entered the Korea Military Academy as part of the 11th class. He began his military career immediately after graduating from the academy, and when the May 16 military coup occurred in 1961, he mobilized cadets to support the military regime. He later gained the trust of former President Park and was appointed secretary to the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction. Around this time, he also co-founded the Hana Group, a private military organization within the army, along with former President Roh Tae-woo and others.

In 1979, the year of the October 26 incident, he was appointed commander of the Defense Security Command. After the incident, he served as the head of the joint investigation headquarters as the security commander and investigated the October 26 incident. During this time, he led the December 12 military rebellion, arrested Army Chief of Staff Jeong Seung-hwa, who was the martial law commander, and subsequently took control of the military. In 1980, through the May 17 rebellion, he suspended the constitution. He violently suppressed the May 18 Democratization Movement, which occurred after the "Seoul Spring" protests demanding direct presidential elections.

After the late former President Choi Kyu-ha resigned from the presidency citing the May 18 Democratization Movement, Jeon Du-hwan was elected president by a large margin in the National Unification Advisory Council. On October 27, 1980, a new constitution, centered on a single seven-year presidential term, was promulgated following a national referendum. In January 1981, he founded the Democratic Justice Party and was elected the 12th president through an indirect election under the new constitution.

During his presidency, the economic development policies initiated in the 1960s bore fruit. Industrial advancement was achieved, and the growth of heavy and chemical industries ushered in an economic boom. He also promoted the 3S policy, which focused on Sports, Sex (sexual openness), and Screen (film industry promotion). In 1987, near the end of his term, the death of student Park Jong-chul due to torture and the death of Yonsei University student Lee Han-yeol from a tear gas canister sparked the June Democratic Uprising. Public protests demanding a constitutional amendment for direct presidential elections intensified, and eventually, the ruling party's presidential candidate Roh Tae-woo announced the June 29 Declaration, leading to the constitutional amendment for direct presidential elections. Former President Jeon completed his full presidential term and retired.

Former President Jeon Du-hwan, who served as the 11th and 12th president, passed away on the 23rd.
The photo shows Jeon Du-hwan, then head of the Martial Law Command Joint Investigation Headquarters, making an announcement related to the death of former President Park Jeong-hee on November 6, 1979.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

After retirement, he was arrested and indicted in 1995 by the civilian government along with Roh Tae-woo. He was sentenced to death in the first trial and to life imprisonment in the second trial on charges including rebellion, murder, and bribery. However, in 1997, public opinion favored pardoning the two, and following the presidential election, President Kim Young-sam pardoned them.

In 2013, the statute of limitations for recovering former President Jeon's confiscated assets was extended to 2020 through the amendment of the "Special Act on Forfeiture of Public Officials' Crimes." In September 2013, former President Jeon, through his eldest son Jae-guk, publicly apologized and pledged to pay the outstanding confiscated amount of 167.2 billion won. In 2017, he published a three-volume memoir totaling about 2,000 pages, but it was criticized for being biased toward himself, and the court eventually banned its publication. He was also criminally sued for defamation of the deceased by the family of the late Father Cho Bi-o after criticizing him in the memoir, and the trial continued until recently. Diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and multiple myeloma, a malignant blood cancer, he battled illness and passed away at his home at 8:45 a.m. on this day. Earlier, on October 21, his youngest brother Jeon Kyung-hwan died at the age of 79. Five days later, on October 26, former President Roh Tae-woo passed away at the age of 88.