Grandson of ex-president Chun Doo-hwan posts May 18 uprising photos on Christmas, says ‘I wish I had never been born’

Photos posted on Instagram by Chun Woo-won on Dec. 25 show family members of a May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising victim mourning a loved one in 1980, left, alongside a childhood photo of Chun with his grandfather, former President Chun Doo-hwan. Captured from Chun's social media

Chun Woo-won, the 29-year-old grandson of former President Chun Doo-hwan, shared photos honoring the victims of the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising on Dec. 25, as he once again expressed guilt over his grandfather’s legacy of violent military suppression.

On Instagram, Chun posted childhood photos and videos of himself with Chun Doo-hwan alongside historical images of May 18 victims. He captioned the post with the words “I wish I had never been born.” Chun Doo-hwan, who died in 2021, never apologized for the military’s bloody crackdown on Gwangju citizens in 1980.

Chun Woo-won bows deeply to the families of victims of the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising as he apologizes on behalf of his grandfather at the May 18 Memorial Culture Center in Gwangju on Mar. 31, 2023. Yonhap

Chun first drew public attention in March 2023, when he called his grandfather a “murderer” and “criminal” on social media while living in the United States, and accused his family of illegal activities. After returning to Korea, he visited Gwangju, knelt before the graves of victims and their families, and apologized in tears.

His gestures did not end there. Chun has continued to express regret, and on Christmas Day he also posted photos of himself spending time outdoors with women believed to be family members of people who died in the Gwangju uprising. Beneath one photo, he wrote, “Thank you sincerely for embracing a person like me with love.”

Chun Woo-won, second from left, shares ice cream with women believed to be family members of people who died in the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising in a photo he posted on Instagram, Thursday. Captured from Chun's social media

Chun also uploaded photos related to his addiction treatment and religious activities. He previously live-streamed his drug use online before turning himself in, later receiving a suspended sentence of two years and six months in prison with four years of probation. In his post, he thanked the people who supported him during his recovery, saying they had stayed by him “like a lamp in a time when nothing could be seen.”

In addition, Chun has recently been serializing a webtoon on social media that appears to depict his own life story, addressing family conflict, violence and isolation while studying abroad. The work includes scenes describing alleged incidents inside Chun Doo-hwan’s former home in Seoul’s Yeonhui-dong such as being locked in a bathroom for not eating properly and being beaten after complaining of motion sickness in a car, as well as depictions of his father’s extramarital affairs. The webtoon has continued to spark conversation among online users.

A webtoon that Chun Woo-won is serializing on Instagram. Captured from Chun's social media

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.