South Korean presidents involved in scandals

(Baonghean.vn) -Throughout South Korean history, many presidents have been embroiled in scandals near the end of their terms or after leaving office, leading to corruption allegations or worse, coups or suicides.

1. Syngman Rhee (1948-1960)

Photo: AP.

With the help of the United States, Mr. Rhee was the one who brought Korea out of Japanese colonial rule and became the country's founding president in 1948. However, according to analysts, he gradually became a dictator and was accused of corruption and favoring relatives...

In 1960, he won a fourth term as president but was accused of massive voter fraud. Nationwide student protests forced Rhee to flee to Hawaii, where he died in 1965.

2. Park Chung-hee (1961-1979)

Photo: ABC News.

An army major general, Park seized power in a 1961 coup, ending a brief period of people power after Rhee resigned.

Park Geun-hye's father, Park, is known for his successful industrial policies that led to a period of rapid economic growth. But he is also remembered for his arrests, torture and disappearances. He was assassinated by his own intelligence chief in 1979.

3. Chun Doo-hwan (1980-1988)

Photo: AP.

Lt. Gen. Chun and his army cronies sent tanks and troops into Seoul to seize power in a coup in December 1979, ending the self-ruled government of acting President Choi Kyu-hah after Park's death. Months later, Chun engineered his own election as president.

In 1987, mass protests forced him to accept a constitutional amendment to introduce direct presidential elections. After leaving office, Chun spent two years living in a remote Buddhist temple amid calls for his punishment for corruption and abuse of power.

4. Roh Tae-woo (1988-1993)

Photo: Reuters

A close friend of Chun and handpicked successor, Roh was elected in 1987 on a split opposition vote.

Both Chun and Roh were arrested in late 1995 on charges of collecting hundreds of millions of dollars from businessmen during their time in office. They were also convicted of rebellion and treason in connection with Chun's coup and the bloody 1980 crackdown in Gwangju that left hundreds dead.

In April 1996, the court sentenced Chun to death and Roh to 17 years in prison. Both were pardoned in 1997.

5. Kim Young-sam (1993-1998)

Photo: Getty

Kim's election victory effectively ended military rule. He initially enjoyed strong public support for his ambitious anti-corruption drive and the arrests of Chun and Roh. However, his popularity plummeted during the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s.

The crisis hit the South Korean economy hard, leaving some of its biggest conglomerates in debt and forcing the government to accept a $58 billion bailout from the IMF. Critics say South Korea has been hit harder because of Kim’s mismanagement of the economy. He left office amid a corruption scandal that led to his arrest and jail time.

6. Kim Dae-jung (1998-2003)

Photo: Like Success.

Once an opposition figure sentenced to death by a military court under President Chun, Mr Kim ascended to the presidency and held an unprecedented summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in 2000.

But three years later, he left office with his reputation tarnished by corruption scandals involving his aides and all three of his sons, as well as controversial cash transfers worth hundreds of millions of dollars, reportedly sent to North Korea ahead of an inter-Korean summit.

7. Roh Moo-hyun (2003-2008)

Photo: Knowhow.

Mr. Roh escaped death in 2009, a year after leaving the Blue House, amid allegations that his family members took $6 million in bribes from a businessman. His brother was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison in 2009 for selling power, though he was later pardoned.

In 2004, he was impeached by the National Assembly on charges of incompetence and violating election laws, but the Constitutional Court reinstated him two months later, saying the charges were not enough to remove him from office.

Lee Myung-bak (2008-2013)

Photo: Getty.

Mr Lee’s victory ended a decade of liberal leadership that pushed for closer ties with North Korea, and reflected voters’ hopes that the former Hyundai CEO would help revive the struggling economy. But his support has been eroded by unfulfilled economic promises and a series of corruption scandals.

By the end of his term, Mr. Lee had seen his only son and his brother accused of irregularities in funding the construction of Mr. Lee’s private home. Another brother was arrested for accepting bribes from banks and sentenced to 14 months in prison.

Kim Ngoc

(Synthetic)