"Revoke the Order of Mugunghwa for Jeon Du-hwan and Roh Tae-woo"…100,000 Signature Campaign to Cancel Honors Begins

Military Human Rights Center, Signature Campaign Until the 31st
"Killing of Allies, Massacre of Civilians... Medals Must Be Revoked"

The movie "Seoul's Spring," which centers on the December 12 military coup, is on the verge of reaching 10 million viewers, while a petition campaign to revoke the Mugunghwa Order of Merit awarded to former Presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo has begun.

According to the Military Human Rights Center on the 23rd, a "100,000-signature campaign urging the revocation of the Mugunghwa Order of Merit" for Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, who were criminally punished for military rebellion and treason, started on the 20th. The Military Human Rights Center stated, "We aim to convey the will of the citizens through this 100,000-signature campaign so that the government can promptly decide to cancel the honors awarded to Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo." The petition campaign will run until the 31st.

Movie 'Seoul's Spring'
[Image source=Naver Movie]

The Mugunghwa Order of Merit is South Korea's highest decoration, awarded to presidents and their spouses, allied heads of state, and others who have made significant contributions to the country's development and security.

It is customary for each president to receive the Mugunghwa Order of Merit at the Blue House as the first official event after their inauguration. The outgoing government decides on the award for the president-elect at a Cabinet meeting so that the new president receives the decoration upon taking office. The award for former President Chun was decided in August 1980, and for former President Roh in February 1988.

According to the Honors Act, if a person is sentenced to death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment or detention for one year or more, and the sentence is finalized, all honors must be revoked and decorations reclaimed. In 2006, the Roh Moo-hyun administration canceled nine honors awarded to former President Chun and eleven honors awarded to former President Roh.

The Military Human Rights Center argues that the Mugunghwa Order of Merit should also be revoked like the other honors. The Center stated, "The government did not revoke the Mugunghwa Order of Merit because of concerns that it might lead to denying their presidencies despite their sentences. However, revoking the Mugunghwa Order of Merit does not negate the fact that they served as presidents."

Under the Honors Act, revocation of decorations is carried out either by the president, who recommends the honors, requesting the Minister of the Interior and Safety to submit a "proposal for cancellation of honors" to the Cabinet meeting, or by the Minister of the Interior and Safety directly submitting the proposal to the Cabinet meeting.

Former Presidents Chun Doo-hwan (right) and Roh Tae-woo, who were detained and indicted on charges including insurrection, murder for the purpose of insurrection, and bribery, appearing at the sentencing trial held at the Supreme Court in 1996. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The Military Human Rights Center emphasized, "As depicted in the movie 'Seoul's Spring,' those who forgot their duties as soldiers to gain power, killed their own allies, staged a military coup, and massacred citizens cannot be allowed to retain the Mugunghwa Order of Merit."

"Seoul's Spring" is a film portraying the tense nine hours aimed at stopping the new military faction's coup in Seoul on December 12, 1979. Since its release on November 22, it has been continuously successful at the box office. Although it gave up the daily box office number one spot to "Noryang," released on the 20th, it is still performing well.

As of the 22nd, the cumulative audience for "Seoul's Spring" stands at 9,422,579. It is highly likely to become the second film this year to reach 10 million viewers, following "The Outlaws 3," possibly before the Christmas holiday ends.