December 3, 1995
Web posted at: 10:00 a.m. EST (1500 GMT)
From Seoul Bureau Chief Sohn Jie-Ae
SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- Agents sent by South Korean prosecutors flanked former president Chun Doo-hwan as he was led from his house in his home town of Hapchon, about 140 miles south of Seoul. The former president was arrested on Sunday for ordering the bloody crackdown of a civilian uprising in the city of Kwangju in 1980, a year after he grabbed power in a military coup.
As Chun neared the prison gates in Anyang, situated on the outskirts of Seoul, protesters threw stones and shouted insults at the motorcade.
With the arrest, Chun became the second ex-president in
recent weeks to be put behind bars in South Korea. Former
president Roh Tae-Woo was arrested in a separate case for
receiving bribes from businesses during his
administration of 1988 to 1992. But Roh also faces
responsibility for the 1979 military coup, which also moved
him into the power structure, and the Kwangju massacre, which
left hundreds dead. Chun ruled from 1981 to 1988, then
handed the presidency to Roh.
In recent weeks, students in Seoul and around the nation have taken to the streets to demand that there be strict punishment for the two former military strongmen and that a special prosecutor be assigned to the case to ensure a fair investigation.
When prosecutors summoned Chun for questioning on Saturday, they found the ex-general defiant. Chun told reporters that he had no intention of cooperating with the prosecution. He also accused the prosecution of not searching for the truth, but acting on the orders of the current president.
Prosecutors had decided to reopen the Kwangju case after the current president, Kim Young Sam, ordered the enactment of a special law to punish those responsible. Both former presidents are expected to face stiff jail sentences if convicted. Roh's bribery scandal is said to have given Kim the opportunity he needed -- the chance to show that the present administration and its leader can clear away the painful legacy of the past.
![[Imagemap]](/WORLD/images/world_nav.gif)
Copyright © 1995 Cable News Network, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.