Coup d'état of December Twelfth

The Coup d'état of December Twelfth (Hangul: 12.12 군사반란; Hanja: 12.12 軍事叛亂) or the "12.12 Military Insurrection" was a military coup d'état which took place on December 12, 1979, in South Korea.

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History of South Korea
Preludes to Division 1910–48
Japanese rule 1910–45 Korean Provisional Government 1919–48 People's Republic of Korea 1945–46 USAMGIK 1945–48
First Republic 1948–60
Korean War 1950–53 Syngman Rhee government 1948–60 April Revolution 1960
Second Republic 1960–61
Chang Myon cabinet 1960–61 May 16 coup 1961
Constitutional Vacuum 1961–63
Yun Bo-seon government 1961–62 Supreme Council for National Reconstruction 1961–63
Third Republic 1963–72
Park Chung-hee government 1963–79 Yushin Constitution 1972
Fourth Republic 1972–81
Assassination of Park Chung-hee 1979 December 12 coup 1979 May 17 coup 1980 Gwangju Uprising 1980
Fifth Republic 1981–88
Chun Doo-hwan government 1981–87 June Democracy Movement 1987
Sixth Republic 1988–present
Roh Tae-woo government 1988–93 Kim Young-sam government 1993–98 1997 Asian financial crisis 1997–2001 Kim Dae-jung government 1998–2003 Roh Moo-hyun government 2003–2008 Lee Myung-bak government 2008–2013 Park Geun-hye government 2013–2016 Moon Jae-in government 2017–present
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Republic of Korea Army Major General Chun Doo-hwan, commander of the Security Command,[1][2] acting without authorization from Acting President Choi Kyu-ha, ordered the arrest of General Jeong Seung-hwa, ROK Army Chief of Staff, on allegations of involvement in the assassination of President Park Chung Hee.

After Jeong's capture, 29th Regiment of the 9th Division, along with the 1st and 3rd Airborne Brigades, invaded downtown Seoul to support the 30th and 33rd Capital Security Group loyal to Chun, then a series of conflicts broke out in the capital. Two of Jeong's allies, Major General Jang Tae-wan (Capital Security commander) and Major General Jeong Byeong Ju (special forces commander), were also arrested by the rebel troops. Major Kim Oh-rang, Aide-de-camp of Jeong Byeong Ju, was killed during the gun-fight.

By the next morning, the Ministry of Defense and Army HQ were all occupied. Chun and his fellow 11th class of Korea Military Academy graduates, such as Major General Roh Tae-woo, commanding general of 9th Infantry Division, and Major General Jeong Ho-yong, were in charge of the Korean military. Chun was supported in the coup and the subsequent consolidation of power by the powerful private club of military officials called Hanahoe.

The Coup d'état of December Twelfth and the Coup d'état of May Seventeenth ended the Fourth Republic of South Korea and led to the Fifth Republic of South Korea.