Victims of Late S. Korean Dictator Vow Fight for Historical Justice
Former South Korean military dictator Chun Doo-hwan died Tuesday at his home at the age of 90. Victims of his authoritarian regime and democracy activists are determined to continue the fight for historical justice even after his death.
Chun Doo-hwan, an army general at the time, seized power in 1979 through a military coup.
While Chun oversaw significant economic achievements during his rule, his legacy is marred by records of severe human rights violations.
Chun is held to be responsible for one of the bloodiest massacres in modern South Korean history: the Gwangju massacre.
In May 1980, more than 15,000 students took to the streets of the southwestern city of Gwangju to call for the end of Chun’s military dictatorship.
When Chun’s forces arrived in the city, local government figures showed they killed more than 200 civilians, injured several thousand, and arrested more than 1,800 civilians.
