August 10, 2021 13:54
Chun Doo-hwan, the former putschist president, looked gaunt at his first appearance in a Gwangju court on Monday in an appeals trial for defaming the late activist priest Cho Chul-hyun.
Chun, who according to his family has dementia, clearly had difficulty following the proceedings and left the courtroom after 25 minutes complaining of breathing difficulties.
He was assisted by his wife Lee Soon-ja.
The Gwangju District Court last year let Chun off with a suspended sentence for defaming Cho, who had given an eyewitness account of the massacre of democracy demonstrators in 1980 that happened on Chun's watch. But prosecutors appealed the sentence as too light.
He failed to show up twice for the appeal but attended the hearing Monday after a warning from the court.
The next session is scheduled on Aug. 30.
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