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| Chun Woo-won, center, the grandson of the late former President Chun Doo-hwan, is taken by police officers upon his arrival at Incheon International Airport, Tuesday, as he faces charges of illegal drug use. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
Chun Woo-won apprehended upon arrival over suspected drug use
By Jun Ji-hye
Civic groups connected with the Gwangju Democratic Uprising said Tuesday that they will accept a proposed visit by the grandson of former authoritarian leader Chun Doo-hwan, as he has vowed to apologize to the bereaved families and victims of the government's deadly suppression of the pro-democracy movement.
Members of the groups said they are willing to wait for the younger Chun even if his visit is postponed indefinitely due to an ongoing police investigation into his suspected use of illegal drugs.
Woo-won, the son of Jae-yong, the second son of the former dictator, initially vowed to visit Gwangju to make an apology upon his arrival in Korea from New York where he lives.
But he could not keep this promise as he was apprehended upon his arrival at Incheon International Airport earlier in the day for ingesting what he claimed was ecstasy and other narcotics while livestreaming on YouTube. In that video on March 17, he claimed he and his acquaintances had been using illegal drugs.
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| Chun Woo-won, the grandson of former President Chun Doo-hwan, is surrounded by reporters while being escorted by police officers upon his arrival at Incheon International Airport, Tuesday, on charges of using illegal drugs. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
Woo-won, 27, has been making media headlines since March 13 over his series of revelations about his family members through Instagram, YouTube and several media interviews, calling his grandfather a "mass murderer" and all of his family members "criminals."
Chun Doo-hwan is a former Army general who rose to power through a military coup in December 1979 and led an authoritarian government from 1980 to 1988.
During the Gwangju Uprising which began on May 18, 1980, thousands of Gwangju citizens rose up against the military junta led by Chun. More than 200 people were killed, with 1,800 wounded, according to official data.
The former dictator died at age 90 from chronic ailments in November 2021, having never apologized for his wrongdoings. He did not pay back the bulk of the forfeiture related to his treason and bribery convictions, either.
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| This captured image from Chun Woo-won's Instagram shows former President Chun Doo-hwan lying down with two grandsons. Woo-won, the grandson of the former dictator, has recently made a series of revelations about his family members. Captured from Instagram |
When asked why he decided to make an apology, he said, "All lives are precious. I am alive now, but they are not here."
Cho Jin-tae, a senior official from the May 18 Foundation, said his group was preparing for a meeting between Woo-won and the bereaved families of the Gwangju Uprising, as the younger Chun vowed to make contact after his arrival in Korea.
"It is regrettable that the meeting could not take place today, but we will wait for him and welcome him at any time as we are ready," Cho said.
Hwang Il-bong, who heads another group comprised of injured participants of the pro-democratic movement, said he expected the meeting with Woo-won to be an opportunity to share the sad history and agree to prevent recurrences of such a tragedy.
"In case the police investigation of Woo-won drags on, we are willing to visit him in lockup to talk with him, if that is permitted," Hwang said.
In 1997, the Supreme Court found former President Chun Doo-hwan guilty of treason, bribery and other crimes and sentenced him to death, which was later commuted to a life sentence, before a presidential pardon released him from prison.
The former president was also ordered to forfeit 220 billion won ($169 million) amassed in slush funds, which he refused to pay, claiming to have only 290,000 won to his name.
While making the revelations, Woo-won said he and his family members have enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle thanks to the embezzled money, contradicting the former dictator's claim of poverty.
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