Jeong Seung-hwa (; 27 February 1929 – 12 June 2002) was a South Korean

general officer A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

, and the 22nd

Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea Army The Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea Army (CSA; ), is the head of the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA). The position has existed since the founding of the ROKA in 1948, and was originally held by a Lt. General, then by a General since 1968. ...

. He was present at the Blue House presidential compound, site of the assassination of President Park Chung Hee, when it took place on 26 October 1979.

Biography

Born on 27 February 1929 in

Gimcheon Gimcheon (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is situated on the major land transportation routes between Seoul and Busan, namely the Gyeongbu Expressway and Gyeongbu Line railway. ...

, Jeong Seung-hwa joined the South Korean Army as a conscript in the 17th Regiment and fought at the

Battle of Pusan Perimeter The Battle of the Pusan Perimeter, known in Korean as the Battle of the Naktong River Defense Line (), was a large-scale battle between United Nations Command (UN) and North Korean forces lasting from August 4 to September 18, 1950. It was one ...

. He later went to the

Korea Military Academy Korea Military Academy (KMA) is the leading South Korean institution for the education and training of officer cadets for the Republic of Korea Army. Along with the Korea Army Academy (Yeongcheon), it produces the largest number of senior offi ...

and was commissioned as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in the 26th Infantry Regiment in 1950, which he later commanded in the early 1960s. He then commanded a mechanized brigade and an infantry division, before being appointed as commander of II Corps in 1976. In 1978, Jeong was appointed Army Chief of Staff, the most dominant role in the South Korean military. On the evening of 26 October 1979, while Jeong was dining at the Blue House presidential compound, South Korean President

Park Chung Hee Park Chung Hee (; ; November14, 1917October26, 1979) was a South Korean politician and army officer who served as the third president of South Korea from 1962 after he seized power in the May 16 coup of 1961 until Assassination of Park Chung ...

was

assassinated Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

at another facility nearby. The assassin,

Kim Jae-gyu Kim Jae-gyu (, April 9, 1924 – May 24, 1980) was a South Korean politician, army lieutenant general and the director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency. He assassinated South Korean President Park Chung Hee—who had been on ...

, immediately sought out Jeong with a view to having him take over the presidency. Instead, an emergency cabinet meeting was convened at which

Choi Kyu-hah Choi Kyu-hah (, ; July 16, 1919 – October 22, 2006) was a South Korean politician who served as the fourth president of South Korea from 1979 to 1980. An independent politician, he served as the prime minister under President Park Chung He ...

, the prime minister, was declared acting president with Jeong implementing martial law. He plotted to exclude political soldiers such as the

Hanahoe Hanahoe () was an unofficial private group and secret society of Military of South Korea, military officers in South Korea headed by Chun Doo-hwan, who later became the President of South Korea, South Korean president during the Fifth Republic of ...

, an influential group of South Korean military officers. The group later instigated the Coup d'état of December Twelfth. As a result, key members of the Hanahoe, such as

Chun Doo-hwan Chun Doo-hwan (; 18 January 1931 – 23 November 2021) was a South Korean politician, army general and military dictator who served as the fifth president of South Korea from 1980 to 1988. Prior to his accession to the presidency, he was the cou ...

and

Roh Tae-woo Roh Tae-woo (, ; 4 December 1932 – 26 October 2021) was a South Korean army general and politician who served as the sixth president of South Korea from 1988 to 1993. In 1987, he became the first president to be directly elected under the cur ...

, arrested Jeong on suspicion of involvement in the assassination of Park. As a punishment, Jeong was reduced in rank to private and sentenced to life imprisonment. In 1997, 17 years after the coup d'état, Jeong was cleared of any involvement in the death of Park by the Seoul District Court. He was restored to his general officer rank and received pay that had been forfeited at the time of his sentencing. He died on 12 June 2002 in Seoul.

In popular culture

Jeong is portrayed in the 2023 South Korean movie 12.12: The Day under the pseudonym "Jeong Sang Ho".

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jeong, Seung-hwa 1929 births 2002 deaths Fourth Republic of Korea Korean torture victims Leaders ousted by a coup South Korean politicians South Korean generals Korea Military Academy alumni Chiefs of staff of the Army (South Korea) South Korean prisoners of war in the Korean War

Biography

In popular culture

See also

Notes

References