Word: chun
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Ever since he approved the enactment of democratic reforms last month, President Chun Doo Hwan has been pressured to fill key posts in his Cabinet with appointees who are not members of the ruling Democratic Justice Party Last week Chun complied -- sort of. He replaced eight D.J.P.-affiliated Cabinet officials with men who do not belong to the party, though most of them, like Chun himself, are associated with the South Korean military. He also appointed a new Prime Minister, Kim Chung Yul, 69, a former air force general who served as Seoul's Ambassador to Washington from...
...pepper-gas canister during the demonstrations that jolted South Korea for three weeks last month. As the sole death among the tens of thousands of protesters who took to the street, Lee became an instant martyr to the revolt, which had forced promises of sweeping democratic reforms from President Chun Doo Hwan. Lee's funeral prompted a new round of clashes between students and police -- a confrontation that was viewed by most as a final convulsion before the reforms take place, but nonetheless provided a reminder of the country's continuing potential for unrest...
...death forced a halt in negotiations over constitutional reforms, as both Kim Young Sam and Kim Dae Jung, the other primary opposition leader, observed a four-day period of mourning. But the government continued to relax its authoritarian grip on South Korean life. Chun granted formal amnesty to 2,335 South Koreans, including Kim Dae Jung, who had been banned from politics. Another group of 357 people jailed for politically related offenses was released; among them was the Rev. Moon Ik Kwan, one of the country's most prominent dissidents before he was found guilty of sedition following student protests...
...Chun also surprised his countrymen by relinquishing his position as president of the ruling Democratic Justice Party more than six months before he is scheduled to leave office. Speaking to a routine session of party members, Chun announced that he was stepping down from his party post so he could devote full time to affairs of state, including the 1988 Summer Olympic Games, which are scheduled to take place in Seoul. He also wanted to make himself look less partisan. Said Chun: "We are winding up one era in Korea's political history and making preparations for another...
...party leader is all but certain to be Roh Tae Woo, Chun's classmate at South Korea's military academy (class of 1955), political protege and handpicked candidate for President in national elections to be held late this year. It was Roh who had electrified the nation two weeks ago by recommending the program of democratic reforms, including the direct election of the next President, that was later endorsed by Chun. The President paid tribute to Roh "for having made the courageous decision that has given all our citizens a refreshing jolt and has greatly enhanced their pride...