Former South Korean President Arrested For His Role In 1979 Coup His Opponents Accuse Chun Of Masterminding ‘80 Massacre

A former president was arrested early Sunday for his role in a 1979 coup that was followed by the most violent crackdown in South Korea’s modern history.

The arrest of Chun Doo-hwan comes a day after his refusal to submit to questioning over the savage 1980 crushing of a pro-democracy uprising in the southern city of Kwangju.

Chun was arrested in his rural hometown, Hapchon, where he remains a favorite son. Supporters scuffled briefly with thousands of police who surrounded his home as the warrant was served and he was taken away.

The arrest is the latest episode in a seething power struggle rife with scandal and backbiting. One newspaper has called it a “political civil war.”

In one corner is Chun, president from 1980-88, whose opponents accuse him of masterminding a 1979 military coup and the 1980 massacre that left at least 240 civilians dead and 1,800 injured.

In the opposite corner is current President Kim Young-sam, accused of trying to make political capital out of a case that only months ago he said should be judged by history. He changed his mind after a money scandal involving another former president, Roh Tae-woo, threatened to engulf him.

The warrant charged Chun with violating the military criminal code by leading the 1979 coup. The six insurrection charges filed against him call for the death penalty.

Treason could be added later for the Kwangju incident after passage of a special law being pushed through the legislature at Kim’s behest.

Roh, who already is in jail on charges relating to a $650 million slush fund and is expected to be indicted for bribery on Monday, has also been implicated in the crackdown.

Choi Kyu-ha - who served as a figurehead leader for eight months after a Dec. 12, 1979, military coup led by Chun and Roh - also might be questioned.

Prosecutors said their office was flooded with dozens of angry calls from citizens demanding Chun’s immediate arrest. KBS TV conducted a telephone poll of 500 people over age 20 and said 69 percent felt the same.

And in several cities, hundreds of protesters and other dissidents threw firebombs at riot police and demanded harsh punishment for Chun and Roh.

Chun arrived in Hapchon, 150 miles outside Seoul, on Saturday and was greeted with banners and 500 villagers. Relatives spent the day cleaning up and preparing a feast for him.

Prosecutors, who obtained the warrant just before midnight, arrived a little more than six hours later, accompanied by 2,000 plainclothes policemen.

About 100 villagers, who shivered around bonfires through the night, cursed at and briefly scuffled with police, who surrounded Chun’s fenced compound and before prosecutors went inside to deliver the warrant.

With the pre-dawn scene illuminated by TV lights and 30 residents watching from their roofs, Chun finally emerged more than a half-hour later, looking grim but holding his head high.