Former South Korea president denies helicopter attack in Gwangju

April 27 (UPI) -- Former South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan denied armed helicopters were used to shoot down civilians amid a bloody crackdown in the city of Gwangju in 1980.

Chun made the statement during his trial on Monday, as he faced charges of defaming an activist priest who died in 2016.

Chun, 89, made the rare court appearance as angry protesters demanding justice clashed with police, local news services Newsis and News 1 reported.

During the trial that concluded at 5:22 p.m., the former South Korean dictator suggested a helicopter attack on unarmed civilians was unthinkable.

"Such reckless acts. I believe these sons of the Republic of Korea, who would rank lieutenant or captain of the military as shooters, would not have fired from a helicopter," Chun said.

Chun may have also been tired, according to reports. About 40 minutes into the trial, Chun nodded off to sleep. His wife, former first lady Lee Soon-ja, handed him water as he struggled to stay awake, according to Newsis.

In a memoir published in 2017, Chun accused eyewitnesses, including a South Korean Catholic priest, of lying about the helicopter attack. Chun called the clergyman a "colorless, unscrupulous liar" in his autobiography.

Chun was sentenced to prison in 1997 after being convicted of leading an insurrection, illegal troop movement orders and murder of subordinate troops. He received a presidential pardon the same year.

On Monday, a group of South Korean women, the "Mothers of May," confronted police who blocked them from approaching Chun at the courthouse. The group represents women who lost sons and daughters during the May 1980 Gwangju Uprising, when South Korea's military junta beat and sometimes killed citizens.

The troops murdered as many as 200 people and wounded an additional 1,800, according to South Korean analysts.

More than 200 protesters gathered on Monday to prevent Chun from leaving the courthouse, according to reports.