[1][2] The assassination of Park Chung Hee on 26 October 1979 had thrown South Korea into a state of political turmoil.

Prime Minister Choi Kyu-hah immediately became acting President and declared a state of martial law throughout the nation, with the exception of Jeju-do.

Jeong, Chun and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Jong-hwan were the most powerful figures in the military.

[12] The South Korean navy and air force did not participate in the coup and Chun subsequently co-opted them following the success of the mutiny.

The mutiny, the coup of the civilian government on 17 May 1980, alongside the Gwangju Uprising,[14] was the primary justification for Chun's 1995 arrest by the Kim Young-sam administration.