Unrepentant former president

Chun should stop mocking the public and offer sincere apology

Former President Chun Doo-hwan appeared in a Gwangju court Monday. Chun, 89, was indicted for defaming the late Catholic priest Cho Pius ― a key witness of the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy uprising ― in his memoir published in April 2017.

In the memoir, the former strongman called Father Cho, who repeatedly testified that the military had opened fire on protesters from helicopters, a “shameless liar who does not deserve the title of a religious priest” and “Satan wearing a mask.” The family of the late priest filed a criminal complaint, accusing Chun of defaming him.

In Monday's hearing, Chun claimed, “As far as I know, the military did not open fire on civilians from helicopters at the time. If there had been firing from helicopters, many lives would have been lost.” Contrary to his claim, however, nearly 20 Gwangju residents testified that they had witnessed gunfire from helicopters during the uprising.

This was the first time in over a year that Chun attended a hearing at the Gwangju District Court since he went to the arraignment March 11, 2019. Since then, he has skipped other sessions of the trial citing poor health, including a claim that he suffers from Alzheimer's disease. However, his excuses of poor health have been called into question as the former military dictator responsible for ordering the assault on the Korean public has been spotted dining and playing golf with longtime aides from the time of his self-imposed rule.

The Gwangju uprising marks its 40th anniversary this year. Chun has neither apologized for the murder of the victims of the military crackdown nor to the surviving Gwangju citizens. He behaved nonchalantly when he attended the trial in March last year and also dozed off throughout Monday's hearing. Chun should stop mocking the public and stand trial earnestly. He also ought to sincerely apologize to the victims, their bereaved families and the people of the areas affected. This would be the very least he could do to pay for his wrongdoings.