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Soldiers are deployed to suppress pro-democracy demonstrations in Busan and Masan in Oct. 1979. The protests helped bring about the end of Park Chung-hee’s “Yushin regime

Former President Park Chung-hee violated the law and garrison decree procedures by sending airborne troops and other military units in to quash to the Bu-Ma Democratic Protests in 1979, a report revealed. The democracy protests by university students and citizens in Busan and Masan took place in mid-October 1979 just before Park’s assassination and helped precipitate the collapse of his military administration.

According to an investigation report published on Feb. 20 by an Office of the Prime Minister review committee to investigate the Bu-Ma Democratic Protests and rehabilitate the reputations of those involved, Park responded to the spread of demonstrations to Masan, South Gyeongsang Province, following their eruption in Busan on Oct. 16, 1979, by issuing orders to Busan martial law commander Park Chan-geung on Oct. 18 to “assess the needs for the Masan area and take necessary measures at your discretion” and to “move one Special Forces battalion to Masan to support the 39th Infantry Division.” In response, Park Chan-geung moved on Oct. 19 to send an airborne brigade into Masan from Busan as martial law forces.

The deployment of troops to Masan would have first required a garrison decree. In cases where a metropolitan city mayor and provincial governor request the mobilization of troops, the garrison headquarters commander is to report to the Army Chief of Staff to receive approval; in case of an emergency situation, he or she may send in troops immediately and report to the Army Chief of Staff after the fact.

But in the case of the Bu-Ma Democratic Protests, there was no troop mobilization request from then-South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Seong-ju – which meant no garrison decree was invoked. Despite no such decree, President Park gave orders on Oct. 18 for Park Chan-geung to send troops into Masan.

Additionally, Masan-area garrison headquarters commander Cho Ok-sik sent the first troops into downtown Masan at 6 pm on Oct. 18 without prior approval from or after-the-fact reporting to the Army Chief of Staff. At 10:30 pm, troops from the 39th Infantry Division and three tanks were mobilized to suppress demonstrations.

After issues arose with the garrison decree procedures, a document was belatedly drafted stating that Cho had ordered the troops into the Masan area as of noon on Oct. 20. The situation was ultimately handled in a manner where the central government issued a mobilization order in accordance with a garrison decree, after which the South Gyeongsang provincial governor requested that troops be sent in.

Disregard for procedure was also found in the declaration of emergency martial law in Busan. Emergency martial law is a matter for the Cabinet to decide. In the case of the Bu-Ma Protests, an ad hoc Cabinet meeting was held at around 11:30 pm on Oct. 17, with the declaration of emergency martial law approved for Busan at around 12:20 am on Oct. 18. But troops had already been sent into Busan at around 11 pm on Oct. 17.

“President Park’s order to move airborne troops into Masan despite there being no troop request from the South Gyeongsang provincial governor, the deployment of troops by Masan garrison headquarters commander Cho, and the deployment of troops to Busan before the Cabinet had made an emergency martial law decision were violations of the law that disregarded procedure,” the report concluded.

By Kim Kwang-soo, Busan correspondent

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