Ex-South Korean strongman Chun Doo-hwan dies at age 90

SEOUL – Former South Korean subject strongman Chun Doo-hwan, who took powerfulness successful a 1979 coup and brutally crushed pro-democracy protests earlier going to situation for misdeeds portion successful office, died Tuesday. He was 90.

Chun, who suffered successful caller years from Alzheimer’s illness and a humor cancer, was declared dormant aft a bosom onslaught astatine his Seoul home, constabulary and exigency officials said.

Chun’s decease came a period aft his service person and different ex-president, Roh Tae-woo, who besides played a cardinal relation successful the coup, died astatine property 88. Roh succeeded Chun arsenic president by winning a antiauthoritarian predetermination successful 1987, which was considered the commencement of South Korea’s modulation to ideology pursuing decades of military-backed dictatorships.

Chun was an service large wide erstwhile helium seized powerfulness successful December 1979 with his subject cronies. Tanks and troops rolled into Seoul successful a coup that came little than 2 months aft his mentor, President Park Chung-hee, was assassinated by his ain quality main during a late-night drinking enactment aft a harsh 18-year rule.

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Chun rapidly consolidated his powerfulness by launching a deadly crackdown connected a civilian uprising successful Gwangju, past spelled Kwangju. His authorities besides imprisoned tens of thousands of students and others, saying it was rooting retired societal evils. Government records amusement the subject onslaught connected Gwangju resulted successful the deaths of astir 200 people, but activists accidental acold much civilians died.

Chun’s subject tribunal arrested salient absorption person Kim Dae-jung and sentenced him to decease for allegedly fomenting the Gwangju uprising. After the United States intervened, Kim’s condemnation was reduced and helium was aboriginal freed. Kim aboriginal became president and won the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to beforehand ideology successful South Korea and reconcile with rival North Korea.

Despite governmental oppression, South Korea's system boomed during Chun’s tenure. He introduced respective liberalizing measures, including an extremity to a Korean War-era curfew and an easing of restrictions connected overseas trips. To get Washington’s endorsement of his military-backed government, helium reportedly dropped Park Chung-hee's purported program to make atomic bombs and longer-range missiles.

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Chun sought reconciliation with North Korea by seeking acme talks with then-leader Kim Il Sung, the precocious gramps of existent person Kim Jong Un. He besides approved exchanges of visits by families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War and accepted a uncommon connection of flood assistance from North Korea.

North Korea, however, repeatedly challenged South Korea during Chun’s rule. In 1983, North Korean commandos triggered a weaponry that targeted Chun during a sojourn to Myanmar. Chun narrowly escaped wounded successful the attack, which killed 21 people, including respective South Korean authorities ministers. In 1987, North Korean agents bombed a South Korean airliner, sidesplitting each 115 radical connected board.

At home, nationalist choler implicit his dictatorship and quality rights abuses led to monolithic thoroughfare protests successful 1987, forcing Chun to judge a law revision to present nonstop statesmanlike elections.

Roh, the governing enactment candidate, won a hotly contested December 1987 election, mostly owed to a splitting of the ballot betwixt wide absorption candidates Kim Dae-jung and his main rival, Kim Yong-sam.

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During Roh's presidency, Chun took refuge for 2 years successful a Buddhist temple successful the look of monolithic nationalist criticism. After Roh near bureau successful 1993, Kim Yong-sam became president and had some Chun and Roh basal proceedings arsenic portion of a betterment drive. The 2 ex-presidents were convicted of mutiny and treason implicit the coup and the Gwangju crackdown, arsenic good arsenic corruption. Chun was sentenced to decease and Roh to 22 1/2 years successful prison.

Those sentences were aboriginal reduced by the Supreme Court. Kim Young-sam pardoned the 2 erstwhile presidents successful precocious 1997 astatine the petition of past President-elect Kim Dae-jung, who sought greater nationalist reconciliation to revive the economy, deed by an Asian overseas speech crisis.

Chun ne'er apologized implicit the Gwangju crackdown. In August, helium appeared astatine a Gwangju tribunal to support himself against charges that helium defamed a now-deceased Catholic clergyman who had testified that Chun’s troops changeable astatine protesters from helicopters successful Gwangju. Chun near the tribunal aft 20 minutes, complaining of breathing problems. In his memoir, Chun called the clergyman “a shameless liar.”

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Chun “should person cooperated with the truth-finding efforts, expressed remorse and offered an apology, not lone to Gwangju citizens, but to each of our people," Jo O-seop, a governing enactment lawmaker from Gwangju, told reporters Tuesday. "I mean, conscionable deliberation astir each the atrocious things helium has done.”

Chun has often been compared with Roh, who had been bedridden for 10 years earlier his decease and whose lad repeatedly apologized implicit the crackdown and visited a Gwangju cemetery to wage respects to victims connected behalf of his father.

Both Roh and Chun were earlier ordered by a tribunal to wage backmost hundreds of millions of dollars they collected illegally. Roh paid backmost his stock but Chun didn't bash so.

When Roh died successful October, determination was a uncommon outpouring of nationalist sympathy for him on with affirmative reviews of his achievements successful office, specified arsenic forging diplomatic ties with galore Communist countries and allowing greater governmental criticism. Politicians and different high-profile figures paid respects to Roh earlier the authorities held a nationalist ceremonial for him. However, section governments successful respective provinces and cities, including Gwangju, refused to little flags to half-staff oregon acceptable up memorial altars for Roh.

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No state-organized ceremonial oregon nationalist condolences are expected for Chun. A elder statesmanlike authoritative said aft Roh's decease that it wasn't worthy adjacent examining the request for a akin government-organized ceremonial for Chun.

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Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed to this report.

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