The World - News from March 20, 1988

Former South Korean President Chun Doo Hwan asked for an investigation of alleged irregularities by a state-backed body once headed by his younger brother. The brother, Chun Kyong Hwan, left South Korea secretly Friday on a flight to Japan, officials said. South Korean newspapers have alleged a string of scandals involving the New Community Movement, known as Saemaul, led by Chun Kyong Hwan from 1981-87. Saemaul was set up in 1970 to speed modernization of rural areas. Newspapers said it amassed millions of dollars by cajoling companies and state agencies into donating funds and forcing people to sell land at less than half its true value.