Prison term sought for ex-President Chun over defamation

Former President Chun Doo-hwan, center, leaves Gwangju District Court, April 27, after attending a hearing on defamation charges linked to the Gwangju Democratic Uprising that began on May 18, 1980. / Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon

By Jun Ji-hye

District prosecutors in Gwangju sought an 18-month prison term, Monday, for former President Chun Doo-hwan, who has been indicted for defamation linked to the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising.

Gwangju District Court is expected to hand down the ruling at the end of the year at the earliest.

The former dictator, who rose to power through a military coup and led an authoritarian government from 1980 to 1988, was indicted without physical detention in May 2018 for “defamation of the dead.” He allegedly made slanderous statements against a late activist priest who provided eyewitness accounts of the bloody military suppression of pro-democracy protesters.

In a controversial memoir released in April 2017, Chun described activist priest Cho Chul-hyun, also known as Cho Bi-oh, as “Satan wearing a mask.”

Cho had earlier testified to witnessing helicopter fire on civilians during the military suppression of the May 18 uprising ― a claim Chun called a lie.

Defamation of the dead is a crime when a person spreads false information and tarnishes the reputation of the deceased. Those who commit this crime can face up to two years in prison and up to 5 million won ($4,300) in fines.

Chun's trial has been focused on whether the military did shoot at citizens from helicopters during the uprising.

Witnesses for the prosecution have backed up the late priest's argument, while the National Forensic Service stated that bullet marks found on the wall of a building in Gwangju seemed to have been caused by gunfire coming from helicopters.

On the other hand, Chun, a former Army general, and defense witnesses have denied those claims.

“As far as I know, the military, at the time, did not open fire on civilians from helicopters. If the soldiers had shot from helicopters then that would have caused a lot of casualties,” Chun said during a hearing on April 27.

Chun's lawyer has also claimed that prosecutors have failed to find clear, direct evidence.

During the May 18 uprising, thousands of Gwangju citizens rose up against the military junta led by Chun. According to official data, more than 200 people were killed, with 1,800 wounded.

Prosecutors began investigating Chun's controversial statements published in the memoir after a nephew of the late priest sued the authoritarian leader for defamation.