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Chang Do-yong

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In this Korean name, the family name is Chang.
Chang Do-yong
장도영
張都暎
Chairman of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction
In office
16 May 1961 – 3 July 1961
DeputyPark Chung Hee
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byPark Chung-hee
Acting Prime Minister of South Korea[a]
In office
21 May 1961 – 3 July 1961
Preceded byChang Myon[b]
Succeeded bySong Yo-chan (acting)
Minister of National Defense
In office
20 May 1961 – 6 June 1961
PresidentYun Po-sun
Preceded byHyun Suk-ho
Succeeded byShin Eung-gyu
Personal details
Born(1923-01-23)23 January 1923
Ryūsen-gun, Heianhoku-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan
Died3 August 2012(2012-08-03) (aged 89)
Orlando, Florida
United States
Resting placeSeoul National Cemetery
Political partyNone(military regime)
SpouseBaek Hyung-sook
Children5 children
Alma materImperial Japanese Army Academy
Korea Military Academy
ReligionProtestantism
Military service
Allegiance Empire of Japan
 South Korea
Branch/service Imperial Japanese Army (1944–1945)
 Republic of Korea Army (1945–8 August 1961)
Years of service1944–1961
RankLieutenant(Japan)
Lieutenant General(South Korea)
Battles/warsSecond Sino-Japanese War
World War II
Korean War
Korean name
Hangul
장도영
Hanja
Revised RomanizationJang Doyeong
McCune–ReischauerChang Toyŏng

Chang Do-yong (Korean: 장도영; Hanja: 張都暎; 23 January 1923 – 3 August 2012[1][2]) was a South Korean general, politician and professor who, as the Army Chief of Staff, played a decisive role in the May 16 coup and was the first chairman of the interim Supreme Council for National Reconstruction for a short time until his imprisonment.[3][4]

Early life and education

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Chang was born on 23 January 1923, in Ryūsen-gun, Heianhoku-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan. Chang attended Sinuiju High School(middle school). He graduated from the history department of Toyo University in 1944, planning to become a teacher, but instead attended and graduated from the Military Language School, the predecessor to the current Korea Military Academy.[5]

Career

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World War Two and The Korean War

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Chang initially served in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Japanese occupation of Korea, and retired from the Japanese army after liberation with the rank of lieutenant. He was then commissioned into the army as a South Korean military officer. After serving as the commander of the 5th and 9th regiments, and as the head of the Army Counter Intelligence Corps, he commanded the 6th Infantry Division's forces, and during the initial stages of the Korean war his forces were defeated by Chinese forces at the battles of Sachang-ni, Hwacheon-gun, and Gangwon Province during the initial stages of the Chinese spring offensive. However, his forces quickly recovered and subsequently defeated the Chinese forces at the battle of Yongmunsan, making up for the defeat of the previous month.[5]

Involvement in the May 16 coup

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Chang Do-yong giving a speech 4 days after the coup. Park Chung-hee is on the right side of the photo.

After the armistice, Chang became Army Chief of Staff at the age of 39 under the Cabinet of Chang Myon following the April 19 Revolution in 1960, but he was not loyal to his government. Chang first learned of the coup from Park Chung Hee on 10 April 1961, who wanted him to lead the new government so that the entire military would support it. He responded by neither joining the plotters nor notifying the government.[6] This indecisiveness has been seen as giving legitimacy to the coup. In addition, Chang later convinced then-prime minister Chang Myon, that a security report containing leaked details of the coup (when it was scheduled to occur on May 12) was unreliable. This allowed the planners to postpone it to May 16.[7]

Rise and decline

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After the coup, Chang was appointed as a figurehead leader while Park held the real power.[8] Soon afterwards, however, he formed a small faction of moderates, causing conflict with other more militarist officers, including Park.[9] At his peak, Chang occupied four positions: chairman of the Supreme Council, prime minister, defense minister, and army chief of staff.[10] Through May 1961, he attempted to gain recognition of the new government from the United States, meeting with John F. Kennedy on 24 May and promising a transfer to civilian control by 15 August (a priority for the US and president in name only Yun Posun, who Chang wanted to remain in office[11]) on 31 May. These moves quickly made him unpopular with the rest of the military leaders, who saw him as a threat to their power and the goals of the coup.[12] In June, after winning the acceptance of the US, Park and his followers turned the tide against Chang by implementing laws to restrict his influence. On 3 July 1961, Chang, the ten MPs posted around him for security, and 44 other officers were arrested on charges of conspiring to execute a countercoup.[10][12] He surrendered without any resistance.[12]

Exile and later years

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Before his trial, Chang had already made it clear that he would flee to the United States, a move his persecutors didn't object to.[12] In January 1962, he was sentenced to death for conspiring to obstruct Park's coup, a sentence which was later commuted to life in prison. In May 1962, Park pardoned Chang and allowed him to depart for the United States.[13] There, Chang completed his doctorate in political science at the University of Michigan. Later, while teaching in the United States, he explained to an interviewer why he had been betrayed. In order to prevent Park's lust for power, he insisted on the transfer of power and explained that this was the case. The February 23, 1982 article from Korea JoongAng Daily, "Supreme Council for National Reconstruction, Issue 6" recalled, "Mr. Chang Do-yong recently recalled that he 'tried to set the period of military administration at six months,'" he recalled. "I thought our troops were well trained and would be able to restore order in 6 months. 'Let's hold elections in 6 months and create a new civilian government to raise the country. Leave this matter to me, without saying a word,'" he insisted to the Supreme Council. His subordinates did not listen to him.[14]

The fact that Chang called for an early transfer of power is supported by various testimonies. But such claims are not the only cause of his disappearance. Chang claimed that he had visited South Korea in 1968 and met with Park as well as troops who participated in the Vietnam War.[15] He joined Western Michigan University as an associate professor in 1971 and retired in 1993.[2] By 2011, it was reported that he was suffering from dementia.[15] He died on August 3, 2012, from complications of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

Works

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  • Yearning for Home (《망향》. 서울: 숲속의 꿈), autobiography, 2001, ISBN 9788995007280

Honors

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Notes

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  1. ^ as Chief Cabinet Minister of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction.
  2. ^ as Prime Minister of South Korea.

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ "Do Young Chang Obituary - Gotha, FL". Dignity Memorial. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Do Young Chang obituary | WMU News". wmich.edu. Western Michigan University. 23 August 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  3. ^ "5·16 당시 육참총장 장도영 전 국방장관 별세". The Hankyoreh. 5 August 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  4. ^ "장도영 前 육군참모총장 회고록 출간". Naver News. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  5. ^ a b Kim, J. S. (2020, November 15). 박정희를 머리 숙이게 한 남자, 쫓겨난 진짜 이유. ohmynews. Retrieved May 10, 2022, from http://www.ohmynews.com/NWS_Web/Series/series_premium_pg.aspx?CNTN_CD=A0002691020
  6. ^ Kim & Vogel 2011, pp. 47–48
  7. ^ Kim & Vogel 2011, pp. 49–50
  8. ^ "CURENT[sic] SITUATION IN SOUTH KOREA - CIA FOIA (foia.cia.gov)". www.cia.gov. Archived from the original on 23 January 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  9. ^ "SOUTH KOREA - CIA FOIA (foia.cia.gov)". www.cia.gov. Archived from the original on 23 January 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  10. ^ a b Kim & Vogel 2011, p. 89
  11. ^ New Korean military leader Jang Do-young public domain archival newsreel and stock footage, 21 September 2013 – via www.youtube.com
  12. ^ a b c d ""장도영 언행 혁명 방해" JP, 박 소장에게 보고 않고 기습 체포 … 박정희 "혁명에도 의리가" … JP "고뇌·아픔 없을 수 없었다"". JoongAng Ilbo. 6 April 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  13. ^ "1962 Nunn Bush featherwate". The Kansas City Star. 2 May 1962. p. 7. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  14. ^ 중앙일보. (1982, February 23). <32>「국가재건 최고회의」⑥. The JoongAng. Retrieved May 10, 2022, from https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/1619448
  15. ^ a b "장도영 美플로리다서 치매 투병… 군부가 정착지 정해줘". Seoul Shinmun. 17 May 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2019.

Bibliography

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  • Kim, Byung-Kook; Vogel, Ezra F. (2011). The Park Chung Hee Era: The Transformation of South Korea. Harvard University Press.
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