Gov't revokes nat'l merit for military officers involved in 1979 military coup

SEOUL, March 24 (Yonhap) -- The government on Tuesday revoked national orders of military merit awarded to 10 military officers involved in a military coup in 1979 that was led by late former President Chun Doo-hwan, the defense ministry said. Under the motion approved in a Cabinet meeting held earlier in the day, the Chungmu Order of Military Merit awards for the 10 individuals who played key roles in the military coup led by then Maj. Gen. Chun on Dec. 12, 1979, have been canceled, according to the ministry. Chun, who died in 2021, seized power in the 1979 coup and became president the next year. "The measure is aimed at defending constitutional values by revoking the military merit order that were unlawfully and unfairly awarded to people who played major roles in the Dec. 12 military coup," the ministry said in a release. The government earlier revoked national orders awarded to 13 military officers involved in the 1979 coup, who were sentenced to three or more years in jail, but others had kept their orders as their cases did not meet the requirements for revocation despite criticism over their action. The ministry said it pushed for the revocation after verifying their service did not meet the conditions for receiving national military orders, adding it will continue to take such measures going forward to ensure the honor and fairness of national orders. It is reportedly in the process of seeking to revoke military orders presented to three other military officers involved in the 1979 coup. This photo, filed Dec. 11, 2010, shows a photo of senior military officers who took part in a military coup led by then Maj. Gen. Chun Doo-hwan on Dec. 12, 1979, taken two days after the incident. (Yonhap) mlee@yna.co.kr(END)