South Korean presidents involved in scandals throughout history.

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

1. Syngman Rhee (1948-1960)

Photo: AP.

With the help of the United States, Rhee led South Korea out of Japanese 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 favoritism towards his family.

In 1960, he won a fourth presidential term but was accused of large-scale 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.

As a Major General in the army, Park rose to power in a 1961 coup, ending a brief period of people's rule following Rhee's resignation.

Park, the father of Park Geun-hye, is renowned for his successful industrial policies, which created a period of rapid economic growth. But he is also remembered by many for his arrests, torture, and assassinations. He was assassinated by his own intelligence chief in 1979.

3. Chun Doo-hwan (1980-1988)

Photo: AP.

Lieutenant General Chun and his close friends in the military brought tanks and troops into Seoul to seize power in a December 1979 coup, ending the autonomous government of acting President Choi Kyu-hah following the death of Park. Months later, General Chun orchestrated his own election as president.

In 1987, a series of protests forced him to accept constitutional amendments to allow direct presidential elections. After his term ended, Chun lived for two years in a remote temple amidst calls for his punishment for corruption and abuse of power.

4. Roh Tae-woo (1988-1993)

Photo: Reuters

A close friend of Chun and a carefully selected successor, Roh won the 1987 election thanks to divided votes within the opposition.

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 that killed hundreds of people in Gwangju.

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 officially ended the military regime. Initially, he enjoyed strong popular support for his ambitious anti-corruption efforts and the arrests of Chun and Roh. However, support for him plummeted during the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s.

The crisis severely impacted the South Korean economy, leaving several large corporations heavily indebted and forcing the government to accept a $58 billion bailout package from the IMF. Critics argue that South Korea was hit harder because Kim Jong-un didn't know how to steer the economy. He left office amid a corruption scandal, leading to his arrest and imprisonment.

6. Kim Dae-jung (1998-2003)

Photo: Like Success.

Once an opposition figure sentenced to death by a military court under President Chun, Kim rose 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 assistants and all three of his sons, as well as controversial cash transfers totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, allegedly sent to North Korea before the inter-Korean summit.

7. Roh Moo-hyun (2003-2008)

Photo: Knowhow.

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

In 2004, he was impeached by Congress on charges of incompetence and election law violations, but the Constitutional Court reinstated him two months later, saying the charges were not sufficient to remove him from office.

Lee Myung-bak (2008-2013)

Photo: Getty.

Lee's victory ended a decade of liberal leadership toward closer ties with North Korea and reflected voters' hopes that the former Hyundai CEO would help revive the struggling economy. But support for him has waned due to unfulfilled economic promises and a series of corruption scandals.

Towards the end of his term, Lee witnessed his only son and his brother being accused of irregularities in contributing funds to build his private residence. Another brother was arrested for accepting bribes from banks and sentenced to 14 months in prison.

Kim Ngoc

(Synthetic)