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| Chun Woo-won, a grandson of late former President Chun Doo-hwan, speaks to reporters upon his arrival at Incheon International Airport, March 28. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
Police apprehended a grandson of late former President Chun Doo-hwan at Incheon International Airport on Tuesday over suspected illegal drug use.
Chun Woo-won, the 27-year-old grandson, was detained by officers from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency upon his arrival at the airport at 6 a.m. from New York and transported to the police agency for investigation.
Woo-won, a son of Chun's second son ― Jae-yong ― drew headlines earlier this month for his revelations online and via media interviews about irregularities involving his family.
Chun Doo-hwan, who served as president from 1980-1988 after seizing power in a 1979 military coup, is widely criticized for the bloody crackdown on the pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju in 1980, which left hundreds of people dead.
In a video uploaded online from New York, the grandson called Chun a "slaughterer" and accused his family of allegedly using money from hidden assets.
In another YouTube video, Woo-won said he and his acquaintances have been using illegal drugs and swallowed what he called ecstasy and other narcotics while livestreaming.
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| Chun Woo-won, a grandson of late former President Chun Doo-hwan, speaks to reporters upon his arrival at Incheon International Airport, March 28. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
On Sunday, he said on his social media account he will return to South Korea to visit Gwangju and offer apologies to the victims of the 1980 military crackdown.
"I am blessed to have a chance to apologize to those whose are emotionally hurt. I am sorry to have been born," Woo-won said at the airport shortly after his detention.
"I am a sinner. ... The life of other people is as precious as my life, and the sin rests with me because I am alive, but they are no longer alive," he said of the crackdown victims, adding he will apologize to them and their families after undergoing investigation.
Police plan to conduct a drug test on Woo-won and look into suspected drug use by him and his acquaintances to determine whether to seek an arrest warrant for him. (Yonhap)
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| Chun Woo-won, center, the grandson of late former authoritarian leader Chun Doo-hwan, is escorted by police officers as he arrives at Incheon airport, west of Seoul, March 28. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
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