After the assassination of
Park Chung Hee in 1979, Choi became acting president; the prime minister stood next in line for the presidency under
Article 48 of the
Yushin Constitution. Due to the unrest resulting from Park's authoritarian rule, Choi promised democratic
elections, as under Park elections had been widely seen as rigged. Choi also promised a new constitution to replace the highly authoritarian Yushin Constitution. Choi was the sole candidate in
an election on 6 December for the balance of Park's term, becoming the country's fourth president.
Coup and resignation On 12 December 1979, Major General
Chun Doo-hwan and close allies within the military staged a
coup d'état against Choi's government. They quickly removed the army chief of staff and virtually controlled the government by early 1980. In April 1980, due to increasing pressure from Chun and other politicians, Choi appointed Chun head of the
Korean Central Intelligence Agency. In May, Chun declared
martial law and
dropped all pretense of civilian government, becoming the
de facto ruler of the country and reducing Choi to a figurehead. By then, student protests were escalating in Seoul and
Gwangju. The protests in Gwangju resulted in the
Gwangju uprising in which about 987 civilians were killed within a five-day period by Chun's military. Persuaded by
Kim Chung-yul, Choi was forced to resign, stating he wished to "leave behind a precedent of peaceful transfer of power."
Prime Minister Park Choong-hoon became acting president, until Chun's election as
President on 1 September 1980. ==Post-presidency (1980–2006)==