Five Former Presidents Branded ‘Anti-Constitutional Actors’ in Landmark Record of State Violence

New 12-volume biographical series identifies 312 officials responsible for massacres, torture, and election fraud in South Korea's authoritarian past.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 3, 2026, 4:41 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Korea Times

A Judicial Reckoning Beyond the Courtroom

Twelve years in the making, a comprehensive historical project has officially named the powerful figures responsible for South Korea’s past state violence. The Committee for the Compilation of Biographical Accounts of Anti-Constitutional Actors announced on Tuesday that its final work spans 12 volumes and nearly 4,800 pages. Chief compiler Professor Han Hong-gu explained that while legal punishment for many of these actors is no longer possible, the record serves as a permanent historical judgment against those who violated the constitutional rights of citizens.

The Five Presidents and the ‘Anti-Constitutional’ Criteria

The list specifically targets 312 public officials, with the first four volumes highlighting 81 names, including former Presidents Syngman Rhee, Park Chung-hee, Choi Kyu-ha, Chun Doo-hwan, and Roh Tae-woo. These leaders, along with various judges and prosecutors, were selected based on their involvement in five specific categories of unconstitutional behavior:

Civilian Massacres: Directing or permitting the mass killing of non-combatants.

Insurrection: Engaging in military coups or the subversion of democratic order.