Prosecutors have created a team to collect 167.2 billion won in unpaid fines from former President Chun Doo-hwan.

In 1996, the court ordered Chun to pay 220.5 billion won in penalties for leading an insurrection and accepting bribes while he was in power. But he has paid only 53.3 billion won for the past 17 years, leaving 167.2 billion unpaid. Collection of the money from Chun will expire on Oct. 11, this year.

The prosecution said last Friday that the team was part of its response to a gigantic backlog of overdue fines of 10 million won or more. 

All 58 district prosecutors’ offices will establish teams to collect fines or penalties. 

The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office will form a task force to oversee their activities first for 100 days and then review their performance before deciding whether to extend their activities or make them permanent.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, among others, set up a team devoted to collecting the penalties from Chun.

A nationwide creation of such teams came after Prosecutor General Chae Dong-wook, head of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, instructed prosecutors to collect overdue fines and penalties.

“We will use all possible means to find hidden funds and collect penalties for those who have intentionally disregarded them, including Chun,” an official of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office said.

Chun drew public ire and scorn by claiming to have just 250,000 won to his name. 

Currently, his overdue penalties total 25.924 trillion won, and only 315.6 billion has been collected.

Former Daewoo Group chairman Kim Woo-joong has not paid 22.946 trillion won of 23.03 trillion in penalties.

Chun was the fifth president from 1980 to 1988, who seized power through a Dec. 12, 1979 military coup and is responsible for the bloody crackdown on the May 18, 1980 Gwangju democratization movement.

In 1996, Chun was sentenced to life imprisonment, but was later pardoned by President Kim Young-sam.

By Chun Sung-woo (swchun@heraldcorp.com)