1980: Kim Jaegyu, intelligence chief

ExecutedToday.com ^ | May 24, 2009 | Headsman

[CheshireTheCat]

On this date in 1980, the former intelligence chief of South Korea was hanged for assassinating President Park Chung-hee.*

In this surreal affair — known after its date as the “10.26 incident” in South Korea — the head of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency popped the autocratic head of state during a private dinner party at a secret KCIA compound.

He then returned to another dinner party at the compound and, without disclosing what he had done, reported an “accident” and started dropping suggestions to a general that this might be an opportune moment to arrange martial law. Instead, the two repaired to a bunker. There, several hours’ confused wind-gauging by a hastily assembled cross-section of the country’s power brokers (not knowing their own chief spook had pulled the trigger) gave illustration to the Ovid maxim that “treason doth never prosper: what’s the reason? If it prosper, none dare call it treason.”...

[zeestephen]

Wow - what the heck was I doing when this happened?

I do not recall this assassination at all, and I was a news junkie in those days, too.

I am drawing a complete blank on this story.

[Fido969]

The head of the government intelligence agency doing away with the head of state?

[Tijeras_Slim]

I’m sure it was one of Brenner’s wet dreams during Trump’s presidency.

[L.A.Justice]

The head of the government intelligence agency doing away with the head of state?

Yes, indeed, that is what happened in South Korea in 1979...

Park Chung-Hee became President of Korea in 1963...He allowed opposition parties to exist...But, he made sure that he would be President as long as he wished...

Park, a former army officer, had support from Korean military...United States supported Park...US was worried about North Korea...

Kim Jaegyu, the head of KCIA, was also a former army officer...

In 1979, there were riots in South Korea...People were fed up with dictatorship of President Park...Park responded by sending army troops to deal with those protesters...

Director Kim warned President Park about how Korean people were unhappy with his leadership...President Park ignored Kim...

President Park also had a personal security director...His name was Cha Ji-chul...Cha was responsible for protecting President Park...

President Park listened to Cha, while ignoring Director Kim...

Kim killed both President Park and Director Cha...

A theory about Kim's motive...He killed President Park to end his dictatorship and let South Korea move forward as a democracy...He killed Cha because he disliked the guy...

Kim Jaegyu was sentenced to death by a military court...That is because martial law was declared after Park's assassination...

By the way, South Korea did not move forward as a democracy until 1987...That is when people voted directly for the president...

Chun Doo-Hwan was President of Korea from 1980 to 1988...Chun, an army general, became the president with backing of military...

The guy holding the gun is Kim Jaegyu...The investigators decided to do a reenactment...General Chun Doo-Hwan was in charge of investigation...