Ex-President Chun Doo-hwan's grandson vows not to do drugs again

Chun Woo-won's update on Instagram Friday morning. (Chun's Instagram account)

Chun Woo-won, former President Chun Doo-hwan's grandson, on Friday, said he had recovered from losing consciousness and vowed not to use drugs again.

The 27-year-old who lives in New York wrote an update on his Instagram account about what had happened to him since he abruptly stopped live-streaming on March 16, when local police pulled him out of his apartment after he began using drugs while live-streaming and showed signs of hallucinating. Chun was moved to a hospital via ambulance.

The junior Chun said he was discharged from the hospital Thursday after treatment, including airway intubation in his neck. His lung had stopped functioning after taking multiple kinds of drugs in a row during his latest live-stream, he said, adding, “Hallelujah. God saved a wretch like me again.”

He apologized for making people worried and vowed not to take drugs again, saying, “This will never happen again.”

Chun Woo-won's late grandfather, Chun Doo-hwan, served as Korea's president for nearly eight years from 1980, after orchestrating a military coup in December 1979 and directing the bloody suppression of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising.

For his role in suppressing the Gwangju Uprising and other charges, including treason and bribery, he had been ordered to pay approximately 220.5 billion won ($170.6 million) in 1997 but refused to pay the full amount. Citing a lack of money, Chun only paid 128.2 billion, or 58 percent of the total, before dying in 2021.

The grandson has claimed his family has been "living off black money,” as well as accused a number of acquaintances and family members of drug use and sexual misconduct through his Instagram posts and YouTube live-streams.

By Lim Jae-seong(forestjs@heraldcorp.com)