Skeptical S. Koreans Await Verdicts for 2 Ex-Presidents

South Koreans doused hope for justice with cold showers of skepticism this morning as they awaited verdicts in the trials of two former presidents who stand accused of insurrection, sedition and corruption.

The proceedings against Chun Doo Hwan and his successor, Roh Tae Woo, are nothing if not historic; until now, none of the generals who have ruled South Korea have been called to account for any misdeeds.

Yet many South Koreans suspect that the trials are a piece of political theater directed by President Kim Young Sam, to be followed by pardons instead of punishment.

Prosecutors have demanded the death penalty for Chun and life in prison for Roh for masterminding a “creeping coup” that began with an army mutiny in 1979 and ended with a massacre of protesters in the southwestern city of Kwangju in 1980. Chun has insisted that his actions were necessary to defend the country against a possible attack by North Korea in the unstable aftermath of the 1979 assassination of President Park Chung Hee.

Both the verdicts and the sentences are to be announced by a three-judge panel this morning.

Some of the nation’s most powerful business leaders, accused of stuffing the two presidents’ coffers with bribes, could face up to 15 years in prison. They include Lee Kun Hee, the chairman of South Korea’s largest conglomerate, the Samsung Group, and Kim Woo Choong, chairman of the Daewoo Group. The outcome of the corruption case, a separate proceeding, is expected to be announced this afternoon.

In a city made jittery this month by the most violent student demonstrations in years, the court asked for beefed-up security to protect the judges from possible terrorism.

People began lining up three days before the sentencing in hopes of snagging one of the 80 tickets being handed out for courtroom spectators. Ironically, scalpers were poised to try to extort big money from a corruption trial; rumor had it that the black-market price for the courtroom admission tickets could run into the thousands of dollars.

The notion that once-almighty political gods might be brought to justice seemed to intoxicate Korea Times columnist Lee Chang Kook, who wrote: “Mr. Chun and his cronies spilled countrymen’s blood profusely in the coup d’etat of 1980 and waded through slaughter to the throne. They are responsible for the precious and innocent lives snuffed out prematurely as well as unnaturally by them in their frantic rush for power.”

Many Koreans, however, have grown bored with the proceedings, in which witness after witness mumbled through testimony claiming not to remember anything that would be self-incriminating or implicate President Kim, who was supported by Roh in his 1992 election campaign.

No one expects Chun to be executed; the guessing game in Seoul is whether Chun and Roh would serve much prison time before having their sentences commuted by Kim before presidential elections scheduled for next year.

In order to secure the election of his handpicked successor, Kim particularly needs support from the people of the Kyongsang region, home to both Chun and Roh. Clemency for the two ex-presidents could make Kim’s party more popular there.