Chun Woo-won

Chun was born in 1996 as the second son of Chun Jae-yong, the second son of Chun Doo-hwan.^[1] He lived in Seoul until the seventh grade, after which he moved to the United States.^[1] Chun attended the NYU Stern School of Business in New York City, where he studied business and economics.^[1] Despite his residency in the U.S., Chun returned to South Korea to fulfill his mandatory military service, serving for two years.^[1] He spent part of his childhood in South Korea before moving to the United States for his education, eventually working at an accounting firm in New York City.^[1]

His upbringing within the influential Chun family was marked by what he later described as a distorted education where he was taught that his grandfather was a hero and that the 1980 pro-democracy movement in Gwangju was a "riot".^[4]

In March 2023, Chun launched a series of social media broadcasts from New York making several high-profile allegations against his family.^[1] He accused his relatives of maintaining a lavish lifestyle funded by illegal slush funds hidden by his grandfather.^[1] He claimed to have witnessed and experienced physical abuse and neglect within the family residence.^[5]

He publicly labeled his grandfather a "mass murderer," "slaughterer," and "criminal".^[1] During a livestream on March 17, 2023, he consumed several narcotics, including LSD and ecstasy, expressing a desire to be punished for his family's crimes and his own personal vices.^[1]

Chun returned to South Korea on March 28, 2023, where he was immediately arrested at Incheon International Airport on suspicion of drug use.^[6] He was released the following day after cooperating with authorities.^[6] On March 31, 2023, he visited Gwangju, becoming the first direct descendant of Chun Doo-hwan to formally apologize to the bereaved families of the May 18 Democratization Movement.^[6] In a highly publicized ceremony, he performed a keunjeol (a full-prostration bow) before victims and survivors.^[7] He publicly thanked the citizens of Gwangju for accepting his apology, stating that his grandfather had "stamped on heroes... with military boots".^[7] He cleaned the tombstones of victims at the May 18 National Cemetery using his own coat.^[7]

Chun was indicted for violating the Narcotics Control Act.^[8] In December 2023, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced him to 30 months in prison, suspended for four years.^[8] The court cited his sincere remorse and voluntary return to the country as reasons for leniency.^[8] An appeals court confirmed this sentence in April 2024, adding requirements for three years of probation, 120 hours of community service, and 80 hours of drug treatment.^[8]

In late 2025, Chun began releasing an AI-generated webtoon series on his Instagram titled Monggeuli.^[9] The series features a lamb character, "Monggeuli" (representing Chun), who lives in a castle inhabited by "black-horned sheep" (representing his father and grandfather).^[9] The webtoon details his childhood trauma, his dawning realization of the brutality of the Gwangju Massacre, and his struggles with depression and drug addiction.^[9] Chun concluded the first installment of the series, which depicts his character's return to Korea and subsequent arrest.^[10] He has expressed a desire to continue telling his story to prevent the erasure of historical truths.^[9]