Former South Korean dictator Chun Doo-hwan dies aged 90

Chun seized power in 1979 military coup and ruled country for about eight years

Former South Korean leader Chun Doo-hwan comes out of his house in Seoul, South Korea, in August 2021. Photograph: EPA
Former South Korean leader Chun Doo-hwan comes out of his house in Seoul, South Korea, in August 2021. Photograph: EPA

Former South Korean military strongman Chun Doo-hwan, who crushed pro-democracy demonstrations in 1980 after rising to power in a coup, has died aged 90.

Officials said Chun died on Tuesday morning following a cardiac arrest at his home.

Chun seized power in a 1979 military coup and ruled South Korea for about eight years.

He brutally suppressed pro-democracy protests and detained tens of thousands of people to consolidate his grip on power.

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Official data says about 200 people were killed in a government crackdown in 1980 on protests in the southern city of Gwangju.

After leaving office, Chun was convicted of mutiny, treason and corruption and was sentenced to death but later pardoned. – PA