Jang Do-young (also romanized as Chang Do-yong and variations thereof; ; 23 January 1923 – 3 August 2012
) was a South Korean general, politician and professor who, as the
Army Chief of Staff, played a decisive role in the
May 16 coup
The May 16 military coup d'état () was a military coup d'état in South Korea in 1961, organized and carried out by Park Chung-hee and his allies who formed the Military Revolutionary Committee, nominally led by Army Chief of Staff Chang Do ...
and was the first chairman of the interim
Supreme Council for National Reconstruction
The Supreme Council for National Reconstruction ( ko, 국가재건최고회의) was the ruling military junta of South Korea from May 1961 to December 1963.
The Supreme Council overthrew the Second Republic of Korea in the May 16 coup in May 19 ...
for a short time until his imprisonment.
Early life and education
Born in 1923, in
Ryūsen-gun,
Heianhoku-dō, Jang Do-young attended
Sinuiju
Sinŭiju (''Sinŭiju-si'', ; known before 1925 in English as Yeng Byen City) is a city in North Korea which faces Dandong, Liaoning, China across the international border of the Yalu River. It is the capital of North P'yŏngan province. Part of ...
High School(middle school).
He graduated from the history department of
Toyo University
is a university with several branches in Japan, including Hakusan, Asaka, Kawagoe, Itakura, and Akabane.
Overview
The predecessor to Toyo University was , which was founded at Rinsho-in Temple by Enryo Inoue in 1887. Inoue felt that the ...
in 1944, planning to become a teacher, but instead attended and graduated from the
Military Language School, the predecessor to the current
Korea Military Academy
Korea Military Academy (KMA) is the leading South Korean institution for the education and training of officer cadets for the Republic of Korea Army. Along with the Korea Army Academy (Yeongcheon), it produces the largest number of senior office ...
.
Career
World War Two and The Korean War
Jang initially served in the
Imperial Japanese Army
The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...
during the Japanese occupation of Korea, and retired from the Japanese army after liberation with the rank of
lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
. He was then commissioned into the army as a South Korean military officer. After serving as the commander of the 5th and 9th regiments, and as the head of the
Army Counter Intelligence Corps, he commanded the
6th Infantry Division 6th Division may refer to:
Infantry divisions
* 6th Division (Australia)
* 6th Division (Austria)
*6th (United Kingdom) Division
* Finnish 6th Division (Winter War)
*Finnish 6th Division (Continuation War)
* 6th Division (Reichswehr)
* 6th Divisi ...
's forces, and during the initial stages of the Korean war his forces were defeated by
Chinese forces at the battles of Sachang-ni,
Hwacheon-gun, and
Gangwon-do during the initial stages of the
Chinese spring offensive. However, his forces quickly recovered and subsequently defeated the
Chinese forces at the battle of
Yongmunsan, making up for the defeat of the previous month.
Involvement in the May 16 coup
![장도영, 박정희 1961년 5](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/%EC%9E%A5%EB%8F%84%EC%98%81%2C_%EB%B0%95%EC%A0%95%ED%9D%AC_1961%EB%85%84_5.16_%EA%B5%B0%EC%82%AC%EC%A0%95%EB%B3%80.jpg)
After the armistice, Jang became
Army Chief of Staff at the age of 39 under the Cabinet of
Chang Myon
Chang Myon (hangul: 장면; hanja: 張勉; August28, 1899June4, 1966) was a South Korean statesman, educator, diplomat, journalist and social activist as well as a Roman Catholic youth activist. He was the only prime minister of the parliamenta ...
following the
April 19 Revolution
The April Revolution ( ko, 4.19 혁명), also called the April 19 Revolution or April 19 Movement, were mass protests in South Korea against President Syngman Rhee and the First Republic from April 11 to 26, 1960 which led to Rhee's resigna ...
in 1960, but he was not loyal to his government. Jang first learned of the
coup from
Park Chung-hee
Park Chung-hee (, ; 14 November 1917 – 26 October 1979) was a South Korean politician and army general who served as the dictator of South Korea from 1961 until his assassination in 1979; ruling as an unelected military strongman from 1961 ...
on 10 April 1961, who wanted him to lead the new government so that the entire military would support it. He responded by neither joining the plotters nor notifying the government. This indecisiveness has been seen as giving legitimacy to the coup. In addition, Jang later convinced then-prime minister
Chang Myon
Chang Myon (hangul: 장면; hanja: 張勉; August28, 1899June4, 1966) was a South Korean statesman, educator, diplomat, journalist and social activist as well as a Roman Catholic youth activist. He was the only prime minister of the parliamenta ...
, that a security report containing leaked details of the coup (when it was scheduled to occur on May 12) was unreliable. This allowed the planners to postpone it to May 16.
Rise and decline
After the coup, Jang was appointed as a figurehead leader while Park held the real power. Soon afterwards, however, he formed a small faction of moderates, causing conflict with other more militarist officers, including Park. At his peak, Jang occupied four positions: chairman of the Supreme Council, prime minister, defense minister, and army chief of staff.
Through May 1961, he attempted to gain recognition of the new government from the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, meeting with
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
on 24 May and promising a transfer to civilian control by 15 August (a priority for the US and president in name only
Yun Posun
Yun Po-sun (; or ; August 26, 1897 – July 18, 1990) was a South Korean politician and activist who served as the second president of South Korea from 1960 to 1962. He was the only president of the parliamentary Second Republic of Korea.
Ha ...
, who Jang wanted to remain in office) on 31 May. These moves quickly made him unpopular with the rest of the military leaders, who saw him as a threat to their power and the goals of the coup.
In June, after winning the acceptance of the US, Park and his followers turned the tide against Jang by implementing laws to restrict his influence. On July 3, Jang, the ten
MPs posted around him for security, and forty-four other officers were arrested on charges of conspiring to execute a countercoup.
He surrendered without any resistance.
Exile and later years
Before his trial, Jang had already made it clear that he would flee to the United States, a move his persecutors didn't object to.
After leaving in 1962, he completed his doctorate in political science at the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
. Later, while teaching in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, he explained to an interviewer why he had been betrayed. In order to prevent Park Chung-hee's lust for power, he insisted on the transfer of power and explained that this was the case. The February 23, 1982 article from
Korea JoongAng Daily
''Korea JoongAng Daily'' is the English edition of the South Korean national daily newspaper ''JoongAng Ilbo''. The newspaper was first published on October 17, 2000, originally named as ''JoongAng Ilbo English Edition''. It mainly carries news a ...
, "Supreme Council for National Reconstruction, Issue 6" recalled, "Mr. Jang Do-young recently recalled that he 'tried to set the period of military administration at six months,'" he recalled. "I thought our troops were well trained and would be able to restore order in 6 months. 'Let's hold elections in 6 months and create a new civilian government to raise the country. Leave this matter to me, without saying a word,'" he insisted to the
Supreme Council. His subordinates did not listen to him.
[중앙일보. (1982, February 23). <32>「국가재건 최고회의」⑥. The JoongAng. Retrieved May 10, 2022, from https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/1619448]
The fact that Jang Do-young called for an early transfer of power is supported by various testimonies. But such claims are not the only cause of his disappearance. Jang claimed that he had visited South Korea in 1968 and met with Park as well as
troops who participated in the Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
.
He joined
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...
as an associate professor in 1971 and retired in 1993.
By 2011, it was reported that he was suffering from
dementia
Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...
.
He died on August 03, 2012, from complications of
Parkinson's and
Alzheimer's
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As t ...
.
Works
*''Yearning for Home'' (),
autobiography
An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life.
It is a form of biography.
Definition
The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
, 2001,
Honors
*
Taegeuk Class Order of Military Merit
*
Silver Star Medal
The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an en ...
Notes
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jang, Do-young
Prime Ministers of South Korea
South Korean military personnel of the Korean War
South Korean generals
1923 births
2012 deaths
Chiefs of Staff of the Army (South Korea)
National Defense ministers of South Korea
Leaders who took power by coup
Western Michigan University faculty