South Korea's last dictator lives in an L-shaped mansion protected by 5-meter stone walls and a plainclothes security team. He almost never goes outside, his longtime lawyer says, given the scrutiny he would face. Highlighting the extent of change in the nation he once ruled, Chun Doo-hwan is whiling away his golden years in a home that is a virtual prison.
Many South Koreans view Chun as the face of a bygone but still-painful era — one filled with military coups, repression and flagrant corruption. The nation democratized almost immediately after Chun left office 25 years ago, and today is a vibrant multiparty state where presidents serve single five-year terms and shoving matches occasionally enliven National Assembly debates.
But authorities there say that South Korea's transformation still requires a final step: full justice for past wrongdoings.