Choi Kyu-hah
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Choi Kyu-hah | |
|---|---|
최규하 | |
_Choi.jpg) Official portrait, 1979 | |
| 4th President of South Korea | |
| In office October 26, 1979 – August 16, 1980 Acting to December 6, 1979 | |
| Prime Minister |
|
| Preceded by | Park Chung Hee |
| Succeeded by | Chun Doo-hwan |
| 12th Prime Minister of South Korea | |
| In office December 18, 1975 – October 26, 1979 | |
| President | Park Chung Hee |
| Preceded by | Kim Jong-pil |
| Succeeded by | Shin Hyun-hwak |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 16, 1919 Genshū-men, Genshū-gun, Kōgen-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan |
| Died | October 22, 2006 (aged 87) Mapo, Seoul, South Korea |
| Resting place | Daejeon National Cemetery |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | Tokyo Higher Normal School |
| Signature | .svg) |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 최규하 |
| Hanja | 崔圭夏 |
| Revised Romanization | Choe Gyuha |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oe Kyuha |
| Art name | |
| Hangul | 현석 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Hyeonseok |
| McCune–Reischauer | Hyŏnsŏk |
| Courtesy name | |
| Hangul | 서옥 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Seook |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sŏok |
Choi Kyu-hah (Korean: 최규하, pronounced [tɕʰø ɡjuha, - kjuha]; July 16, 1919 – October 22, 2006), also spelled Choi Kyu-ha or Choi Gyu-ha, was a South Korean politician who served as the fourth president of South Korea from 1979 to 1980.
Early life
[edit]Choi was born in Wonju-myeon, Wonju, Kōgen-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan (now in Gangwon Province, South Korea). Choi was born into a yangban (upper class) family; his grandfather had been a scholar at the Sungkyunkwan. During this period, Choi used the Japanese name Umehara Keiichi (梅原圭一).
After graduating from Kyunggi High School and the Tokyo Higher Normal School (today the University of Tsukuba) with diplomas in English language and literature, Choi briefly worked as a teacher at the Taikyū Public Junior High School, before moving to Manchukuo for studies at the Taidō Academy. Choi graduated in 1943; two years later he became a professor at the Keijō Normal School.
Political career
[edit]Choi served as Ambassador to Malaysia from 1964 to 1967, foreign minister from 1967 to 1971; and as prime minister from 1975 to 1979.
After the assassination of Park Chung Hee in 1979, Choi became acting president; the prime minister stood next in line for the presidency under Article 48 of the Yushin Constitution. Due to the unrest resulting from Park's authoritarian rule, Choi promised democratic elections, as under Park elections had been widely seen as rigged. Choi also promised a new constitution to replace the highly authoritarian Yushin Constitution. Choi was the sole candidate in an election on 6 December for the balance of Park's term, becoming the country's fourth president.
Coup and resignation
[edit]In December 1979, Major General Chun Doo-hwan and close allies within the military staged a coup d'état against Choi's government. They quickly removed the army chief of staff and virtually controlled the government by early 1980.
In April 1980, due to increasing pressure from Chun and other politicians, Choi appointed Chun head of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency. In May, Chun declared martial law and dropped all pretense of civilian government, becoming the de facto ruler of the country. By then, student protests were escalating in Seoul and Gwangju. The protests in Gwangju resulted in the Gwangju uprising in which about 987 civilians were killed within a five-day period by Chun's military.
Choi was forced to resign soon after the uprising. Prime Minister Park Chung-hoon became acting president, until Chun's election as President on September 1, 1980.
Later life
[edit]After his resignation, Choi lived quietly out of the public eye and died on October 22, 2006.[1] His funeral was held on October 26, 2006, and was attended by President Roh Moo-hyun, first lady Kwon Yang-sook, Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, former presidents Chun Doo-hwan, Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung. Choi was buried in Daejeon National Cemetery.[2]
In popular culture
[edit]The 2023 South Korean movie 12.12: The Day portrays President Choi under the pseudonym "Choi Han-gyu".[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "Obituary: Choi Kyu Hah, 87, led S. Korea in turbulent era". The New York Times. October 22, 2006. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ "Daejeon National Cemetery Timeline". Daejeon National Cemetery. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ LIM, JEONG-WON (2023). "2023.11.23 Now Playing". Korea Joongang Daily. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
External links
[edit]| Provisional Governments (Pre-Union) (1919) | Syngman Rhee (Seoul) • Syngman Rhee (Shanghai) • Yi Dong-nyeong (Shanghai) • Ahn Chang Ho (Shanghai) • Yi Dong-hwi (Shanghai) • Moon Chang-bum (Vladivostok) |   |
|---|---|---|
| Provisional Government (1919–1948) | Syngman Rhee‡ • Yi Dong-nyeong • Park Eun-sik • Lee Yu-pil • Yi Sang-ryong • Yang Gi-tak • Yi Dong-nyeong • Ahn Chang Ho • Yi Dong-nyeong • Hong Jin • Kim Ku • Yi Dong-nyeong • Song Byung-jo • Yi Dong-nyeong • Kim Ku • Syngman Rhee | |
| First Republic (1948–1960) | Syngman Rhee • Ho Chong | |
| Second Republic (1960–1961) | ||
| Military Junta (1961–1963) | ||
| Third Republic (1963–1972) | Park Chung Hee | |
| Fourth Republic (1972–1981) | ||
| Fifth Republic (1981–1988) | Chun Doo-hwan | |
| Sixth Republic (1988–present) | ||
Italics indicate an acting president • † Impeached, but restored to office • ‡ Impeached and removed from office | ||
- Prime ministers of South Korea
- Choi Kyu-hah
- Presidents of South Korea
- Acting presidents of South Korea
- 1919 births
- 2006 deaths
- Liberal Party (South Korea) politicians
- University of Tsukuba alumni
- Ministers of foreign affairs of South Korea
- People from Wonju
- 20th-century South Korean politicians
- South Korean Confucianists
- Gangneung Choe clan
- 20th-century presidents in Asia
- South Korean anti-communists
- Recipients of the Grand Order of Mugunghwa
- Burials at Daejeon National Cemetery
- Korean expatriates in Manchukuo
- Ambassadors of South Korea to Malaysia