Ex-president hit for playing golf amid Alzheimer’s claim
Former President Chun Doo-hwan is under fire for apparently playing golf although he has claimed he is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, an excuse he gave for refusing to attend trial hearings in a libel suit filed against him.
A local daily reported Wednesday that Chun was seen playing golf with his wife in April and December last year. A caddie testified that he seemed to have no memory problems, and could add up scores in his head.
The ex-president, who led the military suppression of pro-democracy activists and citizens in the 1980 Gwangju Pro-Democracy Uprising, was accused of defaming an activist, priest Cho Bi-oh, in his 2017 memoir. He called Cho a “shameless liar,” for claiming to have witnessed soldiers firing on civilians from military helicopters during the suppression.
The Gwangju District Court held the first hearing in August but Chun refused to appear, citing his deteriorating memory due to Alzheimer’s, and saying he was unable to properly answer questions in court due to his “mental condition.” The court called him again Jan. 7 for a second hearing but this time Chun said he had the flu and refused to attend.
Regarding the golf controversy, one of his aides said that he didn’t know if the former president actually played golf or not, but said that it was not impossible for him to play golf.
“Alzheimer’s is not a physical illness and Chun has no problem with daily activities,” the aide told the daily. “His wife attends two to three social gatherings where she eats and plays golf with her friends, and I think Chun joins them.”
Political parties, with the exception of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, criticized Chun for the golfing outing and his excuse that he could not attend hearings or participate in fact-finding on the uprising because of his health.
“Doctors around the world will find it surprising that a person suffering from Alzheimer’s is playing golf because he is physically healthy,” the minor Justice Party spokesman Jung Ho-jin said.
Recalling Chun’s other claim that he could not pay his fine after he was found guilty of treason and bribery, because all he had left to his name was 290,000 won, Jung said, “People are amazed how Chun can play golf when having only 290,000 won. We can no longer accept any of his excuses. We have to bring him to court to put an end to this con game.”