Hanahoe ("Group of One") was an unofficial private group and Secret society of

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

officers in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

headed by

Chun Doo-hwan Chun Doo-hwan (; or ; 18 January 1931 – 23 November 2021) was a South Korean army general and military dictator who ruled as an unelected strongman from 1979 to 1980 before replacing Choi Kyu-hah as president of South Korea from 1980 to 198 ...

, who later became the

South Korean president The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (often abbreviated to POTROK or POSK; ), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Korea. The president leads the State Council, and is ...

during the Fifth Republic era. The society established on

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 ...

and the members were mostly graduates of the eleventh class of the KMA in 1955. Hanahoe formed the core of the group that eventually took control of the presidency and government from

Choi Kyu-hah Choi Kyu-hah (; ; July 16, 1919 – October 22, 2006), also spelled Choi Kyu-ha or Choi Gyu-ha, was a South Korean politician who served as the fourth president of South Korea from 1979 to 1980. Early life Choi was born in Wonju-myeon, Wonj ...

, ending the Fourth Republic. After its initial seizure of power on

December 12 Events Pre-1600 * 627 – Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II's Persian forces, commanded by General Rhahzadh. *1388 – Maria of Enghien sells the lordship of Argos and Nauplia t ...

, 1979, this private political organization maintained great influence in South Korean politics throughout the 1980s, but was later disbanded by force when Chun Doo-hwan and

Roh Tae-Woo Roh Tae-woo (; ; 4 December 1932 – 26 October 2021) was a South Korean politician and army general who served as the sixth president of South Korea from 1988 to 1993. Roh was a close ally and friend of Chun Doo-hwan, the predecessor leader ...

were put on trial in the middle of the 1990s soon after

Kim Young-sam Kim Young-sam (; or ; 20 December 1927 – 22 November 2015) was a South Korean politician and activist who served as the seventh president of South Korea from 1993 to 1998. From 1961, he spent almost 30 years as one of the leaders of t ...

became president.

History

The Encyclopedia of Korean culture trace its origins in the private group Chilsonghoe (七星會, literally means group of seven stars) in 1958 that was formed by 7 people that included Roh, Chun and Junghoyong. The group was an expansion of the group Osunghoe (五星會), formed in 1951, which had five members-Roh, Chun, Kim Bok-dong, Choi Sung-taek, Park Byung-ha, and Chilsonghoe included two more members-Jung Ho-yong and Kwon Yik-hyon.

References

Fourth Republic of Korea Anti-communism in South Korea Militarism Military history of South Korea Far-right politics in South Korea Political organizations based in South Korea Political history of South Korea Chun Doo-hwan {{Korea-hist-stub