   • 

CHAPTER 8

Prelude to Kwangju

B

y early  things had begun to settle down to the extent that
we could do some rational thinking about what actions, if any,
the United States could take to promote democracy and reduce
the chances of a full military takeover. Most of us realized that,
whatever actions the United States might take, they probably would not be
the decisive factor. The real outcome of the struggle for democracy would
ultimately have to come from the Koreans themselves and how they re-
solved the various competing political power centers. Although our official
policy was to encourage the transition to a freely elected government, in
reality most knowledgeable observers feared that the trend was away from
democracy and toward continued military rule. My own analysis was that
there was still a chance for a transition to democracy throughout the late
winter and early spring of  and that it certainly was not inevitable
that a new power structure in the ROK Army necessarily precluded democ-
ratization.
This assessment was reached primarily because I had firsthand experi-
ence with many of the Class  and younger groups, particularly Class ,
and was familiar with their thinking. Quite frankly there was a lot of truth
in their claim to be better educated, better trained, and probably better
equipped to lead the army than their predecessors. They more easily com-
manded the loyalty of their subordinates and generally were more widely
respected than the previous leadership. Also, although some corruption was
still prevalent in the army, in – the younger officers who supported
Chun Doo Hwan and his followers were generally considered to be less cor-
rupt and more professional than their seniors. Like most military men, how-
ever, they greatly valued stability and order.
One such officer with whom I became well acquainted in those days was
Col. Kim Jin Young, who was the de facto leader of Class , was very close
to Chun Doo Hwan (both were from the Taegu area), and had played a criti-
cal role in the events of /. At this time Kim was commanding an im-
portant regiment in the Seoul area, and I visited his unit from time to time.