Amid erratic behavior and arrest, grandson of S. Korean ex-President Chun Doo-Hwan gains admirers
By Iris Jung
Chun Woo-wun, grandson of ex-South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan, was arrested for drug use on Tuesday.
After arriving at South Korea’s Incheon International Airport from New York City, Chun, 27, was immediately arrested at around 6 a.m. KST by Seoul Metropolitan Police’s drug investigation team.
While being escorted by the authorities, Chun was greeted by photographers, journalists and onlookers, some of whom held signs that read “Welcome Chun Woo-wun.”
Several Korean netizens said they were surprised by Chun’s height and appearance, with users of the South Korean social media site Yeocho calling him “really handsome” and noting that he “has the Hong Kong actor feels.”
Other users compared him to South Korean actor Yoo Ah-in, whose alleged drug use has been the subject of a police investigation.
“He seems better looking than Yoo Ah-in with drug charges,” one user wrote.
“There seems to be no difference between Yoo Ah-in and Chun Woo-wun,” another commented.
Chun Woo-wun’s late grandfather was a South Korean military general and dictator who took power from 1980 to 1988.
He is best known for his role in the Gwangju Uprising, which took place in Gwangju, South Korea, in May 1980 and saw university students and South Korean citizens demonstrating against martial law.
In response, the former president allowed military troops to injure, kill, beat and rape demonstrators. Although the government claimed a death toll of 165 individuals, recent studies surrounding the event estimate the true number of victims to be from 600 to 2,300 individuals.
Earlier this month, Chun made headlines for his erratic behavior online.
Through his now-deactivated Instagram account (@hope.with.jesus) and YouTube channel (@JesusChrist0123), the former president’s grandson uploaded videos of himself exposing his family’s alleged crimes.
Videos uploaded to his now-defunct Instagram account were reuploaded to TikTok by user @kpopvideomovie.
“I think of my grandfather as a slaughterer,” Chun states in his first video. “He is not a hero that protected our country, but a criminal. There is no justice in this world that does not accept the truth. There are no rules. This society is sick. You look at the evidence and judge.”
In the second clip, Chun confirms his identity and says he will expose the alleged crimes of his family.
My name is Chun Woo-wun. I am the grandson of the shameful person known as President Chun Doo-hwan and the son of the devil-like Chun Jae-yong. I am also a devil. I will expose my crimes and the crimes of my family. I will receive the proper punishment.
Chun claims his father, Chun Jae-yong, forged documents regarding his alleged criminal activity in South Korea to receive U.S. citizenship.
Chun also claims his father is committing fraud by pretending to aid Korean churches as a missionary.
“Please help me to stop [my father] from acting like a holy person on the inside, but committing evil acts behind the scenes like the devil,” Chun asks his viewers.
Chun then shares official medical documents related to his mental health in fear of his family using his depression and ADHD to discredit him. Although he confesses to a suicide attempt in the past, he argues that he is a “normal person” that speaks and acts like everyone else.
To prevent his family from denying his relation to them, Chun also reveals official birth certificates and family documents as evidence.
On March 17, Chun wrote on Instagram, “In one hour I will reveal everything. I will turn myself in.”
As promised, Chun began a livestream of himself within the hour. Wearing a white button-down shirt, Chun sat at his desk with a cross on the wall behind him.
“I will confess everything and return to South Korea,” he began. “I will reveal everything related to my crimes and show you what a disgusting person I am.”
Chun then continued his livestream by introducing and consuming a wide variety of drugs — including MDMA (ecstasy/molly), DMT and more.
“Even if I do this, I won’t die,” he stated. “I’m going to do everything because they need to appear [in my system] during the investigation.”
On Thursday, Chun was officially released by the police.
In response to reporters waiting outside, Chun apologized for failing to turn himself in earlier and revealed that he planned on meeting the family members of the victims of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising.
Chun upheld his promise on Friday, meeting the bereaved families and publicly apologizing to the victims of the Gwangju Uprising, The Korea Herald reported. He is the first in his family to formally address and apologize for his late grandfather’s role in the killings.
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