On October 26, 1979, at An Ga in Gungjeong-dong, the head of the presidential security service, Cha Ji-cheol, met a tragic end together with President Park Chung-hee, the “heart of Yushin.” He was President Park Chung-hee’s last confidant and shadow. He fatefully met Park Chung-hee on the occasion of the May 16 coup and died together. At the time of the May 16 coup, he participated in the coup as an army captain and served as the bodyguard of Major General Park Chung-hee, making his life inseparable from Park Chung-hee. Cha Ji-cheol was appointed as the head of the presidential security service on August 22, 1974. He was the third head of the security service of the Third Republic, succeeding Park Jong-gyu, who stepped down from his position in the same year after the shooting and death of First Lady Yuk Young-soo by Moon Se-gwang, and he grew the security service into the center of power. Cha Ji-cheol's security service goes beyond simply protecting the president's personal safety and assumes the role of the so-called watchman of the regime, protecting the president's power. He places the president's safety as the top priority of state affairs and sets all value criteria accordingly. His room had a slogan posted that said, "Protecting His Excellency is protecting the country." This was Cha Ji-cheol's view of the president and his attitude toward security. The pretext was to protect His Excellency. Cha Ji-cheol used this pretext to the fullest extent, borrowing the president's authority to infinitely expand the role and status of the security service. He created a deputy director position in the security service and designated the deputy director as equivalent to a vice minister, thereby elevating the status of the security service director to a ministerial level. He also created a special organization called the "Presidential Security Committee," with the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, the minister of national defense, the minister of the interior, the prosecutor general, the chief of the National Security Agency, and the chiefs of staff of the Army, Navy, and Air Force as members, and Cha Ji-cheol as the chairman, thereby flaunting his power as the number two person. The security unit's armament also included tanks, armored vehicles, helicopters, and other heavy weapons with division-level firepower. A related law was also created so that the chief of the security service, a civilian, could command the police force in times of emergency. At that time, the 30th Security Brigade, a security unit, was stationed at Gyeongbokgung Palace. An event with the strange name of "National Flag Raising Ceremony" was held once a week at the 30th Security Brigade parade ground. This was a review ceremony in which all of the security service personnel and firearms were mobilized, and by frequently inviting National Assembly figures, politicians, ministers, and military generals to observe the event, he showed off to the world that he was the second-in-command. Although people criticized him in return, no one dared to refuse his invitation. In this way, Cha Ji-cheol's Blue House security service showed off its power beyond simply being responsible for the president's safety. Just before October 26, the security service was an omnipotent force, and Cha Ji-cheol was the second-in-command after the president. As the second most powerful person in the Yushin era, he went beyond his duties and intervened in politics. He controlled the National Assembly, the executive branch, and military personnel, carried out political manipulation targeting the opposition party, and intervened deeply in state affairs. However, his excessive political intervention, ignoring normal procedures, became the fuse that hastened the end of the Yushin era. We will examine the political situation at the end of the Yushin era by following his actions as he rose to the number two position in power. Character Modern History Episode 17: Your Excellency is the Nation - Cha Ji-cheol (broadcast on October 31, 2003) http://history.kbs.co.kr/