Former Presidents Stripped of Medals

The government stripped 176 people, including former presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, of their state-awarded decorations yesterday.

Chun and Roh were convicted for involvement in the military coup on December 12, 1979 and the brutal repression of the pro-democracy Gwangju Uprising, respectively. Other who had their awards stripped included corrupt high-ranking officials and businessmen, and officials implicated in the repression of freedom in the past.

This is the first time that former presidents have their medals taken away.

The decision came after a State Council meeting presided over by President Roh Moo-hyun on March 21 following the revision of the law governing state decorations. Under the new law, the Government Administration and Home Affairs minister can table a nullification of honors request before the State Council without a request from related ministries.

The government is preparing to notify those concerned of the cancellation and take its decorations back.

Former president Chun was stripped of nine medals, including the Taeguk Medal, Republic of Korea Medal (The Order of National Foundation), and Roh lost 11 medals, including the Ulchi Medal and the Tong-il Medal (The Order of National Security Merit). They will be allowed to retain their Mugunghwa Medals, Korea’s highest order traditionally given to Korean heads of state, however, because to revoke those would be a denial of their presidencies themselves, which would create legal issues.

In addition, 14 people convicted in the December 12 coup and bloody suppression of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising will have their decorations canceled, along with 67 others who received medals for quelling the uprising.

As a rebuttal to some arguments that the nullification of medals to private officers who simply followed their commanders’ orders is too much, the government explained, “The repression of the uprising has been declared illegal. So we will make no exemption in canceling medals of those engaged in illicit activities.”

The government also took away decorations from six people, including the late Kim Jae-gyu, the former spy agency head who assassinated then- President Park Chung-hee. Former professor emeritus at Seoul National University Goh Young-bok also had decorations taken away because he was deemed to have threatened national security by violating the National Security Law.

Corrupt high-ranking officials, including Secretary to the President for General Affairs Hong In-gil, and 87 other businessmen, including former head of Kia Motors Kim Sun-hong, and Lee Geun-ahn, a former police official notorious for his torture of political prisoners, were included on the medal cancellation list.

The government is planning to check the criminal records of decoration receivers on a regular basis and will continue to nullify honors if they meet cancellation criteria.

Meanwhile, an aide to Chun said, “We do not care whether the government cancels decorations or not. “

A person in former President Roh’s camp said, “I talked with him today, but he didn’t mention the news or respond to it.”

Dong-Ki Sung esprit@donga.com