Coup d'état of December Twelfth

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The Coup d'état of December Twelfth or the "12/12 Incident" was a military coup d'état which took place on December 12, 1979 in South Korea.

ROK Army Major General Chun Doo-hwan, commander of Security Command, acting without authorization from Acting President Choi Kyu-ha, ordered the arrest of General Jeong Seung-hwa, ROK Army Chief of Staff, on allegations of involvement in the assassination of President Park Chung Hee. This led to a bloody shoot-out at the Army Headquarters and the Ministry of Defense. By the next morning, Chun and his fellow eleventh class military academy graduates such as Major General Roh Tae-woo, commanding general of 9th Infantry Division, and Major General Jeong Ho-yong were in charge of the Korean military. Chun was supported in the coup and the subsequent consolidation of power by the powerful private club of military officials called Hanahoi.

[edit] See also

• Gwangju Massacre
• History of South Korea
• History of Korea
• List of Korea-related topics