“Chun Doo-hwan was a cool-headed realist. The moment he relinquished power and became a private citizen, he coolly acknowledged his weakened state. After his retirement, when the media exposed the corruption of the Fifth Republic and Roh Tae-woo’s faction attacked him, he departed for Baekdam Temple, reasoning that ‘power requires the current leader to disparage his predecessor to solidify his position.’ Such a decision stemmed from his philosophy of life and death cultivated during his military service. Observing him, Chun Doo-hwan was a leader who had mastered both the ‘lion’s violence and the fox’s cunning’ as described by Machiavelli.”

Interpretations of specific periods in modern Korean history have varied significantly depending on political and social contexts. ‘The Chun Doo-hwan Era of the Fifth Republic’ takes this controversial period as a subject of interpretation, attempting to reconstruct the formation and operation of the Fifth Republic. 

The author, Kim Yong-sam, is a former editor-in-chief of 'Monthly Chosun' who has covered modern and contemporary political history. According to the publisher, the book describes Chun Doo-hwan’s growth, his rise to power, and his administration of the nation in two volumes.

The author views the Fifth Republic as needing to be understood within the continuum of national development, contrary to existing critical definitions. Presenting economic stability, industrial restructuring, and the formation of a science and technology foundation as key areas of analysis, he emphasizes the impact of the policies of that era on subsequent Korean society. 

This book, as an example of presenting a period with coexisting, contrasting evaluations within a single interpretive framework, offers readers reference material for comparing and reviewing diverse perspectives.

By Reporter Im Yo-hee