Choi Kyu-ha
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Template:Koreanname noimage Choi Kyu-ha (July 16, 1919-) was President of South Korea between 1979 and 1980. He was born in the town of Wonju, located in the Gangwon province.
After the assassination of Park Chung-hee in 1979, the prime minister of South Korea at the time, Choi Kyu-ha, assumed power. Because of the unrest resulting from Park's authoritarian tendencies, Choi promised a new constitution and less flawed elections (the elections led by Park were criticized as being biased).
In December 1979, Maj. Gen. Chun Doo-hwan and close allies within the military staged a military coup against Choi's government. They quickly removed the army chief of staff and by early 1980 virtually controlled the government.
In April 1980, due to increasing pressure from Chun and other politicians, Choi appointed Chun the leader of the South Korean CIA. This allowed Chun enormous power and by May, student protests were escalating in Seoul and Gwangju. The protests in Gwangju continued, resulting in the Gwangju Massacre, where over 200 civilians were killed within five days by Chun's military.
Choi resigned soon afterward. By means of forcing his way through the government, Chun Doo-hwan became president on September 1, 1980.
See Also
- President Choi Kyu-ha (http://english.president.go.kr/warp/en/tour/expresident/pre_ckh/)
- List of Korea-related topics
| Preceded by: Park Chung-hee | President of South Korea 1979-1980 | Succeeded by: Chun Doo-hwan |