Chun Doo-hwan's grandson works part-time loading delivery packages to make ends meet

Jeon Woo-won, 30, grandson of the late former President Chun Doo-hwan, has been working a part-time job packing and loading delivery parcels to support himself, it emerged recently.

A YouTube channel posted a video Wednesday highlighting Jeon's current life, drawing wide attention. The footage included clips from a video Jeon had shared in March showing his daily routine at the part-time job.

In the video, Jeon prepared a rice ball before heading to work. "I heard there would be a huge amount to deliver today," he said, referring to Thursday. "I'll need energy to move heavy things and get a lot done, so I saved it to eat in the afternoon." He then took a bus and transferred to the subway to reach his workplace.

Jeon works at a facility that packages orders placed through an online shopping mall. "It takes about an hour and 20 minutes to get to the part-time job," he said. "I pack books and other items ordered from the online mall into boxes and load them onto delivery trucks."

"I heard that on average more than 500 to 600 books alone go out each day," he added. "The delivery trucks come two or three times a day, and I load and unload them each time." He said he works eight hours a day including a lunch break, and on busy days he is on his feet the entire shift except for that break.

Jeon said the current position is the first job where he has signed a formal employment contract. "Honestly, there were so many opportunities to work in various places that I was truly grateful for, but since I caused a big problem, I'm just thankful I can work at all," he said. "For now, I'm trying to do my best." He also spoke warmly of his coworkers, saying they were "really wonderful" and that he was "very happy because of the people there."

He also revealed that he has suffered severe back pain since starting the packing work. Jeon said he had rarely been physically active before, but once he began the demanding job, the pain was so sharp it felt as though his back might snap. He tried stretching and walking to ease the discomfort, but the pain kept returning whenever he moved heavy parcels.

The pain eventually became unbearable, and he visited a traditional Korean medicine clinic for treatment. He said he received ultrasound examinations and injection therapy, adding that "the pain had reached a level I truly could not endure."

"I also watched YouTube videos, read books online and tried various things," he said. "My condition is so bad right now that I'm trying anything I can."

As the back pain worsened, he went on to get an MRI scan at a hospital. "I spent all the money I earned from a week of part-time work on the MRI," he said, adding that the results showed no specific abnormality. He attributed the strain to the sudden shift from mostly desk-based administrative work to a physically intensive job.

Meanwhile, Jeon first came to public attention in March 2023 when he took to social media to denounce his grandfather Chun Doo-hwan as "a murderer and a criminal" and to expose allegations of secret funds held by the family. He also announced at the time that he had renounced his inheritance of Chun's estate and released the relevant documents.

That same month, he traveled to Gwangju to apologize to victims and bereaved families of the May 18 pro-democracy uprising. "My grandfather Chun Doo-hwan committed an enormous sin against May 18," Jeon said, dropping to his knees and bowing his head.