Widow of SKorean dictator issues apology over brutal rule

SEOUL – The widow of South Korea’s past subject dictator issued a little apology implicit the “pains and scars” caused by her husband’s brutal regularisation arsenic dozens of relatives and erstwhile aides gathered astatine a Seoul infirmary connected Saturday to wage their last respects to Chun Doo-hwan.

Chun, who took powerfulness successful a 1979 coup and violently crushed pro-democracy protests a twelvemonth aboriginal earlier being jailed for treason successful the 1990s, died astatine his Seoul location Tuesday astatine the property of 90.

On the last time of a five-day ceremonial procession, Chun’s household held a ceremonial work astatine Seoul’s Severance Hospital earlier taking his remains to a memorial parkland for cremation. Chun’s widow, Lee Soon-ja, said during the work astatine the infirmary that her hubby had wished to beryllium cremated and that his ashes beryllium dispersed successful borderline areas adjacent North Korea.

“As we wrapper up the ceremonial procession today, I would similar to connection a heavy apology connected behalf of our household toward the radical who suffered pains and scars during my husband’s clip successful office,” said Lee, without specifying Chun’s misdeeds.

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Chun ne'er apologized for his atrocities, which included overseeing a massacre of hundreds of pro-democracy protesters successful the confederate metropolis of Gwangju successful 1980, 1 of the darkest moments successful the country’s modern past that came arsenic helium attempted to solidify his regularisation pursuing the coup.

Cho Jin-tae, a elder authoritative astatine a instauration representing Gwangju victims, said Lee’s vague look of remorse rang hollow and called for Chun’s household to backmost her words with action, including cooperating with truth-finding efforts into Chun’s large wrongdoings.

“I don’t deliberation anyone volition beryllium consoled by Lee Soon-ja’s comments today,” Cho told The Associated Press by phone.

Chun was an service large wide erstwhile helium seized powerfulness successful December 1979 with his subject cronies, including Roh Tae-woo, who aboriginal succeeded Chun arsenic president aft winning the country’s archetypal antiauthoritarian predetermination successful decades. The 2 died astir an nonstop period apart, with Roh’s decease coming connected Oct. 26.

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While Roh was fixed a authorities funeral, determination has been overmuch little sympathy for Chun, who had been nicknamed the “butcher of Gwangju.” Although Roh ne'er straight apologized implicit the crackdown, his lad repeatedly visited a Gwangju cemetery to wage respects to the victims and apologized connected behalf of his father, who was bed-ridden successful the 10 years earlier his death.

Chun’s coup extended military-backed regularisation of the state pursuing the assassination of his mentor and erstwhile service general, Park Chung-Hee, who had held powerfulness since 1961. During their back-to-back dictatorships, South Koreans suffered immense quality rights abuses though the nationalist system grew dramatically from the ruins of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Aside from the bloody crackdown successful Gwangju, Chun’s authorities besides imprisoned tens of thousands of different dissidents during the 1980s, including aboriginal president and 2000 Nobel Peace Prize victor Kim Dae-jung. Kim, past a salient absorption leader, was initially sentenced to decease by a subject tribunal connected accusations of fomenting the Gwangju uprising. After the United States intervened, Kim’s condemnation was reduced and helium was yet freed.

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Desperate to summation planetary legitimacy, Chun’s authorities successfully pushed a bid to big the 1988 Olympics, a process that was accompanied by monolithic location clearings and roundups of vagrants and stateless radical arsenic officials tried to beautify the state for overseas visitors.

Trying to make relations with the antiauthoritarian West and trim the fig of mouths to provender astatine home, Chun’s authorities besides facilitated the planetary adoptions of Korean children, mostly to achromatic families successful America and Europe, creating what is present the world’s largest diaspora of adoptees. More than 60,000 children were sent overseas during Chun’s presidency, astir of them newborns procured from stigmatized unwed mothers who were often pressured to relinquish their babies.

Public choler implicit his dictatorship yet fueled monolithic nationwide protests successful 1987, forcing Chun to judge a law revision to present nonstop statesmanlike elections, which were considered arsenic the commencement of South Korea’s modulation to democracy.

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Roh, the governing enactment candidate, won a hotly contested December 1987 election, mostly owed to a splitting of the ballot betwixt wide absorption candidates Kim Dae-jung and his main rival, Kim Young-sam.

After Roh near bureau successful 1993, Kim Young-sam became president and had some Chun and Roh basal proceedings arsenic portion of a betterment drive. The 2 ex-presidents were convicted of mutiny and treason implicit the coup and the Gwangju crackdown, arsenic good arsenic corruption. Chun was sentenced to decease and Roh to 22 1/2 years successful prison.

The Supreme Court aboriginal reduced those sentences to beingness imprisonment for Chun and 17 years for Roh. After spending astir 2 years successful prison, Roh and Chun were released successful precocious 1997 nether a peculiar pardon requested by past President-elect Kim Dae-jung, who sought nationalist reconciliation.

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