CHUN DOO-HWAN APPEARS AT COURT

[Anchor Lead]

For nine months former president Chun Doo-hwan had refused to appear in court after was found guilty of defamation of a priest. Chun accused the late priest of lying about a helicopter massacre during the Gwangju pro-democracy movement. But after a warning that he could face disadvantages for a no-show, the disgraced former politician finally appeared at a Gwangju court.

[Pkg]

Chun Doo-hwan departed from his residence in Seoul at 8:30 a.m. Monday. He did not answer reporters’ questions and just waved his hand before boarding a car.

[Soundbite] "Will you apologize to the victims?"

Four hours later, Chun arrived in Gwangju and stepped into the court surrounded by security guards.

[Soundbite] "Do you deny issuing an order to open fire? Do you have anything to say to Gwangju citizens and the victims’ bereaved families? Say something."

Chun was found guilty by the court of defamation of late priest Cho Bi-oh, who testified about a helicopter massacre that took place during the Gwangju pro-democracy movement. Chun had refused to appear in appellate court for months, but after the court warned him of possible disadvantages for no-show, he finally made an appearance. He dozed off during the trial and eventually left about 20 minutes later citing difficulty breathing. Civic groups and Gwangju residents blasted Chun for his negligent attitude.

[Soundbite] Kim Jung-ho(Attorney of Gwangju May 18th democratic Uprising organization) : "He probably decided to show up because he realized that the situation was not going to play out to his advantage. The court in the first hearing also had to issue a subpoena to make him appear for the first trial."

Chun requested that nine helicopter pilots be permitted to testify in court. The court only allowed four of them because the other five had already testified in the first hearing. They will likely be questioned at the next trial slated for August 30.