By Kang Hyun-kyung
Chun Jae-guk, 57, the second son of former President Chun Doo-hwan, said last week that he has been attending divinity school to become a pastor.
On a radio show of the international Christian radio network Far Eastern Broadcasting Company (FEBC) on Friday, Chun Jr. said he was inspired to go to divinity school while he was in prison.
He was released from prison after serving two years and eight months. The Supreme Court sentenced him in August 2015 to three years behind bars, which was suspended for four years, along with a 4 billion won fine. He was on trial for tax evasion.
South Korea is moving to restrain the authority of its intelligence department to curb excessive surveillance practices and extend an olive branch to North Korea.
On Dec. 13, 2020, the National Assembly passed legislation that would have police replace the National Intelligence Service (NIS) in dealing with the North by the end of 2023 at the earliest, touted as a step toward reconciliation.
The intelligence agency has been responsible for counterintelligence on Pyongyang for some 60 years. During that time, it has also earned a reputation for meddling in domestic politics.
Originally called the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA), the NIS will see its authority scaled back so it can only collect intelligence on other foreign nations, take countermeasures against cyberattacks and work to prevent terrorism.
Dec. 30 1970 Korea Telecom launches direct distance dialing nationwide, enabling customers to make long-distance calls without the assistance of an operator. 1990 Former President Chun Doo-hwan returns to his home in Seoul from Baekdam Temple in Gangwon Province, where he and his wife Lee Soon-ja confined themselves from November 1988 through December 1990 to escape public criticism of his involvement in the 1980 Gwangju massacre and irregularities during his term. Chun served as president until February 1988 after rising to power in 1980 through a 1979 coup. 1994 Bobby Hall, a South Korea-based U.S. Air Force pilot, returns to Seoul via the truce village of Panmunjom after making a forced landing in North Korea and being detained for 13 days.
Soldiers Killed During Gwangju Uprising Recognized as Dead on Duty, Not War Dead
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This file photo, provided by lawmaker Park Jie-won on Nov. 26, 2020, shows martial law army soldiers quelling demonstrators during the 1980 Gwangju Uprising in the southwestern city of Gwangju.
SEOUL, Dec. 22 (Korea Bizwire) Soldiers killed during operations to quell a pro-democracy uprising in 1980 have been relabeled as dead on duty from the previous designation of war dead, the defense ministry said Tuesday, amid efforts to set the record straight on the historic revolt.
On May 18, 1980, the military junta, led by then Gen. Chun Doo-hwan brutally, cracked down on demonstrators in the southwestern city of Gwangju, including students protesting against Chun who had taken power in a military coup the previous year.
Economic freedom can overcome democratic friction
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A general view of parked tractor trolleys and trucks of protesting farmers along a blocked highway during a demonstration against the central government s recent agricultural reforms at the Delhi-Haryana state border in Singhu
(AFP)
Diva Jain
There are several examples of economic success under authoritarian regimes and some academic studies have shown how a few aspects of democracy could get in the way of growth
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No sooner had the government enacted long-pending reforms in the farm sector, Indian democracy came alive with street politics and heady activism. As of Thursday, farmer unions and the government were still deadlocked over the rollback of new farm laws. Without going into the merits of the views put forward by either side, what stands out is that in a democracy, reform measures can be debated through a show of strength involving road blockades and “bandhs as much as through argum