Choi Kyu-hah

This is a Korean name; the family name is Choi.

Choi Kyu-hah 최규하 崔圭夏
Choi as the Prime Minister of South Korea
10th President of South Korea
In office 1979–1980
Preceded by	Park Chung-hee
Succeeded by	Chun Doo-hwan
19th Prime Minister of South Korea
In office 1976–1979
Personal details
Born	July 16, 1919(1919-07-16) Wonju, Gangwon, Colonial Korea (now South Korea)
Died	October 22, 2006(2006-10-22) (aged 87) Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Nationality	Korean
Political party	Liberal Party
Spouse(s)	Hong Gi
Religion	None[1]

Korean name
Hangul	최규하
Hanja	崔圭夏
Revised Romanization	Choe Gyu-ha
McCune–Reischauer	Ch'oe Kyuha
Pen name
Hangul	현석
Hanja	玄石
Revised Romanization	Hyeonseok
McCune–Reischauer	Hyŏnsŏk
Courtesy name
Hangul	서옥
Hanja	瑞玉
Revised Romanization	Seook
McCune–Reischauer	Sŏok

Choi Kyu-hah (July 16, 1919– October 22, 2006) (also spelled Choi Kyu-ha) was the President of South Korea between 1979 and 1980. He was born in Wonju, Gangwon Province. He served as foreign minister from 1967 to 1971 and as prime minister from 1975 to 1979.

After the assassination of Park Chung-hee in 1979, then Prime Minister Choi assumed power. Because of the unrest resulting from Park's authoritarian rule, Choi promised democratic elections (the elections under Park were widely seen as rigged), as well as a new constitution to replace the highly authoritarian Yusin Constitution. Choi won an election in December that year to become the country's fourth president.

In December 1979, Major General Chun Doo-hwan and close allies within the military staged a coup d'état against Choi's government. They quickly removed the army chief of staff and virtually controlled the government by early 1980.

In April 1980, due to increasing pressure from Chun and other politicians, Choi appointed Chun as head of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency. In May, Chun declared martial law and did away with all trappings of civilian government, becoming the de facto ruler of the country. By then, student protests were escalating in Seoul and Gwangju. The protests in Gwangju continued, resulting in the Gwangju Massacre, where around 987 civilians were killed within five days by Chun's military.^[2]

Choi resigned soon afterward. Chun became president on September 1, 1980. After his resignation, Choi lived quietly out of the public eye and died on October 22, 2006.

See also

• List of Korea-related topics
• Gangneung choi clan

References

1. ^ "`회고록 써 한 풀고 가셨으면 좋았을걸 …`". JoongAng Ilbo. 2006-10-28. http://article.joins.com/article/article.asp?total_id=2488649. Retrieved 2008-07-13. 
2. ^ Flashback: The Kwangju massacre. BBC News. May 17, 2000.

External links

• President Choi Kyu-ha
• Nils M. Solsvik Jr. (Oct 23, 2006). "Choi Kyu-hah". South Korean President. Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=16302609. Retrieved Aug 19, 2011. 

Political offices
Preceded by Park Chung-hee	President of South Korea 1979–1980	Succeeded by Chun Doo-hwan
Preceded by Kim Jong-pil	Prime Minister of South Korea 1976–1979	Succeeded by Shin Hyun-hwak

Persondata
Name	Choi, Kyu-Hah
Alternative names
Short description	President of South Korea
Date of birth	July 16, 1919
Place of birth	Wonju, Gangwon, Colonial Korea (now South Korea)
Date of death	October 22, 2006
Place of death	Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea