When the coup succeeded on May 16, 1961, the first person to sit in the seat of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction was not Park Chung-hee, but Army Chief of Staff Chang Do-young. Nominally, he was the supreme leader of the revolution. However, real power lay in the hands of Vice-Chairman Park Chung-hee and Kim Jong-pil, who had established the Central Intelligence Agency. Why did Chang Do-young take that seat, and why was he ousted so quickly? On the day of the coup, he was in a position where he could either suppress it or join in. However, he did not make a decision, and that silence bought the revolutionary forces decisive time. After the success, he concurrently held the positions of Chairman, Head of the Cabinet, and Minister of National Defense, but these roles were closer to a 'face' for legitimacy than actual power. In July 1961, he was arrested as the ringleader of the so-called 'Counter-Revolution Incident.' He was accused of attempting to overthrow the revolutionary government. However, many ask: wasn't the real reason simply that he knew 'too much'? The question is who truly planned this coup and who stood behind its facade. He was sentenced to death but had his sentence commuted, eventually leaving for the United States to spend the rest of his life as a scholar. This video follows how the 'first leader' of May 16 was betrayed in just two months, and what that removal signifies.📌 Topics covered in this video:

Why did Chang Do-young fail to make a decision on the day of the coup?

The rift between the nominal supreme leader and the de facto power holders, Park Chung-hee and Kim Jong-pil

The reality of the 'counter-revolutionary incident' — was it a conspiracy or a pretext?

From death sentence to exile, Chang Do-young's final moments

Questions left by the May 16 power reorganization