The South Korean government on Tuesday revoked military honors awarded to officials involved in the Dec. 12, 1979, military coup, the Defense Ministry said.
The decision was approved at a Cabinet meeting presided over by President Lee Jae Myung, with the ministry confirming that the Chungmu Order of Military Merit granted to 10 key participants in the coup would be canceled.
The Dec. 12 incident refers to a military coup led by then-Maj. Gen. Chun Doo-hwan, in which a group of military officers seized control of key command structures, paving the way for the rise of a new military regime.
The ministry said the move followed a comprehensive review of decorations awarded to those involved in the coup, in line with efforts to uphold constitutional values. The review found that the cited “meritorious service” of the 10 individuals was fabricated.
“Verification showed that the medals were awarded without proper Cabinet deliberation or without qualifying combat achievements during wartime or equivalent emergency situations,” a Defense Ministry official said.
“Some recipients were credited with combat-related contributions despite having no such record, indicating the merits were falsely recognized,” the official added.
Among those affected is Kim Jin-young, who served as commander of the 33rd Security Battalion under the Capital Defense Command at the time of the coup. A graduate of the Korea Military Academy’s 17th class and a core member of the Hanahoe faction, Kim took part in the coup alongside Chun and later rose through the ranks to become Army chief of staff.
Other recipients whose decorations were revoked include Lee Sang-gyu, Kim Yun-ho, Lee Pil-seop, Kwon Jung-dal, Ko Myung-seung, Jung Do-young, Song Eung-seop, Kim Taek-soo and Kim Ho-young.
The Order of Military Merit is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated distinguished combat achievements during wartime or comparable emergency situations. It consists of five classes, with the Chungmu Order ranking third.
Previously, military honors had already been revoked from 13 individuals involved in the coup who were sentenced to at least three years in prison.
Former Presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, both graduates of the Korea Military Academy, with Roh a close aide to Chun, had their decorations stripped in 2006 under the Roh Moo-hyun administration.
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