Home Politics The bronze statue of former South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan was arrested on the spot by “sawhead” suspect
The bronze statue of former South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan was arrested on the spot by "sawhead" suspect

The bronze statue of former South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan was arrested on the spot by “sawhead” suspect

by YCPress

November 20th. On the morning of the 19th local time, a 50-year-old man in Cheongnamdae, Cheongju City, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea, carried a hacksaw to “saw the head” of the bronze statue of former President Chun Doo-hwan. The police were dispatched. Later, he was arrested on the spot.

Jeon Doo Hwan bronze statue destroyed

According to Yonhap News Agency reported on the 19th, the suspect entered Qingnantai as a tourist and committed the crime. He was discovered by other tourists and reported to the staff. In the end, the police were dispatched to arrest the suspect on the spot. At that time, the neck of the bronze statue had been sawed with deep scratches.

Jeon Doo Hwan (Yonhap News Agency)

The report said the suspect deliberately chose rainy days to commit the crime to avoid tourists. Before he started, he broke the monitoring equipment with a lock. The police stated that they will file a case in the name of suspected damage to property after the investigation is clear.

Chun Doo-hwan is 88 years old and has been re-elected as the 11th and 12th president of South Korea. In 1996, he was prosecuted on suspicion of military rebellion. He was sentenced to death in the first instance and later commuted to life imprisonment. 

In December 1997, Chun Doo-hwan received an amnesty from President-elect Kim Dae-jung and was released in early 1998. 

In July 2013, Quan Dou-hwan was ransacked and repaid the stolen money. In 2018, Chun Dou-hwan was sued again for defamation and distortion of facts in his memoirs. 

More than 20 years ago, Chun Doo-hwan (right) and former South Korean President Roh Tae-woo were tried side by side.