The new Emperor, Akihito, offered his "deepest regrets" in 1990 to visiting South Korean President Roh Tae Woo.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Lesser Majesty

This process culminated in the jailing of his two predecessors as President, Chun Doo Hwan and Roh Tae Woo, on corruption charges.

BBC: No tears for outgoing President

During Mr Kim Young Sam's presidency, two former presidents, Chun Doo Hwan and Roh Tae Woo, were jailed for treason, insurrection and taking bribes.

ECONOMIST: South Korea

One is loyal to Kim Young Sam, while the allegiance of the other lies with disgraced former presidents Chun Doo Hwan and Roh Tae Woo.

CNN: Change at the Top

Choi refused to take part in the trial of his convicted successors Chun Doo Hwan and Roh Tae Woo, the men who ousted him from power.

CNN: NEWSMAKERS

And, in a bid to bury past traumas, Kim endorsed the pardon extended his old nemesis, former strongman Chun Doo Hwan, and ex-president Roh Tae Woo, both convicted criminals.

CNN: A year of Living Dangerously

On September 30th, President Kim Young Sam's government announced a special amnesty for 23 leading businessmen who had been convicted of bribing General Chun and Roh Tae Woo, another former president who is also in jail.

ECONOMIST: South Korea

He was convicted in 1996 of bribing former South Korean president Roh Tae-woo but pardoned a year later by then-president Kim Young-sam.

WSJ: South Korea Plans to Pardon Former Samsung Chairman

Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, both former presidents, went to jail for soliciting hundreds of millions of dollars from the country's biggest business groups.

ECONOMIST: Roh Moo-hyun

Roh is the nation's third former president to be summoned, following in the footsteps of Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, both of whom were convicted in 1995 of receiving bribes and inciting a mutiny.

CNN: South Korea's Roh apologizes to nation