On November 30 last year, Chun Doo-Hwan is entering the Gwangju District Court to attend a trial for the judgment of a lion’s defamation.<한겨레>Material photo
Chun Doo-hwan, 90, who was handed over to trial for defaming the late Father Jobio’s reputation is also expected to be held in a court in Gwangju. The 1st Criminal Division of the Gwangju High Court (presiding judge Lee Seung-cheol) announced on the 18th that it had dismissed the transfer to the court having jurisdiction over the appeals court requested by Mr. Chun. Earlier, on January 11, Mr. Chun requested the Supreme Court to transfer the appeal of the case of defamation of a lion to the Seoul Central District Court. Jeon argued that Honam provinces, including Gwangju, had hatred toward Jeon, and judges living in Honam were influenced by local sentiment and could not expect a fair trial. It was also the reason that Chun was old and in poor health, so it was impossible to get trial in a court far away from Chun’s residence (Seoul). The Criminal Procedure Act (Article 15, No. 2) stipulates that if it is difficult to maintain the fairness of the trial in consideration of the nature of the crime, local public opinion, and the circumstances of the lawsuit, it is possible to apply for jurisdiction transfer. The Supreme Court decided on the 8th of last month that the court that will judge the case before its jurisdiction is the Gwangju High Court. According to the Gwangju High Court’s argument, the need to proceed with a trial in Gwangju was due to the fact that during the May 18 Democratization Movement, which is the issue of this case, the martial law army’s helicopter shooting took place in Gwangju, and most of the victims and witnesses live in Gwangju. I decided it was big. It also stated that it cannot be concluded that the sentiment of the Honam region affects the proceedings and conclusions of the trial. The reason for the judgment was that the travel time from Seoul to Gwangju did not take long due to the development of transportation. Meanwhile, in his memoir published in April 2017, Chun was handed over to trial on charges of accusing Father Cho, who testified of the helicopter shooting of the martial law army, as “a unscrupulous liar whose word is a clergyman”. In November of last year, Deputy Judge Kim Jung-hoon of the 8th Gwangju District Court sentenced Jeon to eight months in prison and two years of probation, saying, “It is admitted that there was a May 18 helicopter fire and that Father Cho saw it.” Both Jeon and the prosecution appealed. By Kim Yong-hee, staff reporter