Ex-Officer Held in S. Korea on Sedition Charges
The former commander of crack special warfare troops that crushed a South Korean civil revolt in the city of Kwangju in 1980 was arrested on sedition charges along with two other people Wednesday.
Chung Ho Yong was held in custody overnight with Hur Sam Soo and Hur Hwa Pyong. All three are lawmakers.
Chung commanded elite troops trained for combat with North Korea when they were dispatched to Kwangju to suppress a rebellion against martial law. His arrest warrant connects him with an order to open fire on pro-democracy demonstrators.
By official count, at least 240 demonstrators were killed in the assault, which was accompanied by a roundup of opposition figures, including current President Kim Young Sam.
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