Chun, 87, was sued for allegedly defaming Gwangju citizens with his memoir published last year in which he claimed that North Korean troops were involved in the uprising, that he was not involved in the crackdown, and that the movement was quelled without the use of violence, including firing from helicopters.

Chun insisted in the book that the witnesses who say they saw helicopters shooting protesters have faked the photos capturing the scenes, calling a late pastor who had testified about the choppers firing „Satan wearing a mask.“