South Korea: Well-Timed Clemency

A year ago. baby-faced Lieut. General Chang Do Yung was the swaggering front man of South Korea's tough new military junta, which had just seized power. Less than two months later, his fellow revolutionary, General Park Chung Hee placed him under house arrest, then clapped him into Seoul's red brick Sodaemun prison. The charges: during the early hours of the takeover. Chang had harbored subversive doubts, had mildly tried to stop the coup. For this, Chang was sentenced to hang, but the penalty was later commuted to life imprisonment.

Last week, looking wan and carrying a small bundle of...