Jeon Woo-won, the grandson of former President Chun Doo-hwan, recently appeared on KBS1TV’s ‘The Live’. During the show, he discussed some controversial topics related to his family. When asked regarding his visit to Gwangju on May 31st, he mentioned his mother as the only person who was proud of him. He also revealed that his family never talked regarding the May 18th incident, which surprised him. When asked regarding his grandfather, he mentioned that his grandfather wasn’t a warm person and that his parents always forced him to show affection towards him.
Jeon also made some bold statements regarding his grandfather’s finances. He mentioned that it was customary for his grandfather to give envelopes of money to guests who visited him, and there were bags full of money envelopes on the wall of his grandfather’s bedroom. According to Jeon, his father had the majority of these slush funds, and his uncle did most of the business and trials related to this money scandal. Jeon also mentioned that he gave up his comfortable life because his family scattered due to investigations related to fines and slush funds. He felt abandoned and chose a path that led him away from his family.
Jeon Woo-won (27), the grandson of former President Chun Doo-hwan, said, “There were several bags full of money on the wall of the bedroom.”
Jeon appeared on KBS1TV’s ‘The Live’ on the night of the 4th.
When asked regarding his family’s reaction to his visit to Gwangju on the 31st of last month, he said, “My mother was the only one who said, ‘I’m proud of you, you did a really good job.’ Grandmother Lee Sun-ja said everyone was avoiding contact.
As for whether or not he heard stories related to May 18th when he was young, he said, “This is the part that I really wondered regarding. My family did not have any conversations related to May 18th,” he said.
To the question, ‘What kind of grandfather was Mr. Chun Doo-hwan?’, he replied, “Unfortunately, my grandfather was a person who somehow looked better than a really warm grandfather to inherit even a little bit of money.”
He added, “It was not a warm grandfather, but my parents ordered me to look better and forcibly show aegyo, and I was afraid of that.”
In addition, Mr. Jeon said, “A lot of people came and it was customary for my grandfather to give envelopes of money (to the guests) all the time.” .
As for the source of the cash, “There were several bags full of money envelopes on the wall of the bedroom. There was always a lot of that,” he recalled.
Mr. Jeon said that his eldest father, Jeon Jae-guk, must have had the most of these slush funds, and said, “My uncle did the most business and did all the trials.”
On the other hand, Mr. Jeon said regarding the reason why he gave up a comfortable life and embarked on a difficult path, saying, “It is a family that was attached to it, but it all scattered as the money disappeared due to investigations related to fines and slush funds.” remarried and felt like an abandoned son. It seems that not being able to feel the warmth of my family led me to this path.”
Intern reporter Yoon Ye-rim and Shin Jin-ho reporter
In this interview, Jeon Woo-won sheds some light on his family’s history and his relationship with his grandfather, former President Chun Doo-hwan. He reveals that his family never discussed the May 18th democratic uprising, and his grandfather was not a warm or affectionate person. Additionally, Jeon shares that his family’s fortune was built on slush funds, and he gave up a comfortable life to pursue a different path. Through his honesty and openness, Jeon reminds us that it is essential to confront our past and acknowledge the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it might be.
