`Reclaiming ill-gotten assets from Chun`s is full justice for past wrongdoings`

U.S. daily Washington Post said Saturday that Korean prosecutors` efforts to reclaim the fortune in bribes that former President Chun Doo-hwan collected is an last effort to correct corruptions of past dictatorship era.

On the international section, the U.S. daily ran the article titled "South Korea goes after the fortune of Chun Doo-hwan, its last military strongman" saying Korea democratized almost immediately after Chun left office, but authorities say that the nation`s transformation still requires a final step: full justice for past wrongdoings. "That’s why prosecutors are taking steps to reclaim the small fortune in bribes that Chun collected while in office," it said.

Washington Post added, "Koreans regard him as a Nixonian schemer, one whose corruption was legendary even in an era known for political payoffs."

It said Chun is "South Korea`s last dictator," noting that the furor over Chun who still lives lavishly "reflects a generational shift in which the many who once felt repressed by Chun’s rule now hold positions of power." "In a nation with deep ideological differences, there’s near-consensus about the effort to reclaim Chun’s money," it wrote.

"To understand why Chun is so loathed, one must look at the period in which he came to power — an awkward national adolescence in which Korea was booming economically but thirsty for democracy. Chun helped maintain the growth, but historians say he’s remembered more for holding back a nation from the liberalization its people wanted."

The daily said, "Chun is hardly the only corrupt leader in South Korea’s history, but he has become the symbol of the problem," adding "His predecessor, Park, was responsible for massive graft schemes, but many Koreans consider him a benevolent father figure who masterminded the postwar rise. Park’s daughter, Park Geun-hye, became president this year."

Washington Post quoted Choi Jang-jip, a professor emeritus of political science at Korea University, who said, “Chun had ruled in a truly militant way. You can safely say that Chun Doo-hwan is the worst president Koreans have ever seen.”