Ex-South Korean president, Roh Tae-woo, dies at 88

Former South Korean president, Roh Tae-woo has died at the age of 88, according to his aides.

The aides said that Roh, who served as president from 1988 to 1993, was recently admitted to hospital after his health deteriorated.

Roh, a former general, succeeded former president Chun Doo Hwan after helping him seize power through a 1979 military coup.

The coup filled a power vacuum created by the death of former authoritarian President Park Chung Hee.

As pro-democracy rallies spread massively across the nation in 1987, Roh accepted calls for a direct presidential system and was elected president later that year through a direct vote.

In an apparent bid to shed his military image, Roh began his administration under the slogan of opening an era of ordinary people.

In 1996, Roh and Chun were convicted of corruption and mutiny for their role in the 1979 military coup and in the brutal crackdown on the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in the southwestern city of Gwangju.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.