Ex-South Korean President Roh Tae-woo dies at 88

SEOUL, South Korea — Former South Korean President Roh Tae-woo, a large subordinate successful a 1979 coup who aboriginal became president successful a landmark antiauthoritarian predetermination earlier ending his tumultuous governmental vocation successful prison, died connected Tuesday. He was 88.

The Seoul National University Hospital said Roh died portion being treated for an illness. It gave nary further details oregon his origin of death. Roh, who ruled South Korea arsenic president from 1988-1993, was known to person suffered galore wellness problems including cerebellar atrophy for years.

Roh was a cardinal subordinate successful the December 1979 subject coup that made his service person and coup person Chun Doo-hwan president aft their mentor, dictator Park Chung-hee, was assassinated pursuing 18 years of rule.

Roh led his service part into Seoul and joined different subject leaders for operations to prehend the capital. The coup — and a consequent crackdown by the Chun-controlled subject connected pro-democracy protesters successful the confederate metropolis of Gwangju successful 1980 — are 2 of the darkest chapters successful South Korea’s turbulent modern history. About 200 radical were killed successful the military-led crackdown successful Gwangju, according to authorities records.

Roh was Chun’s hand-picked successor, which would person assured him the presidency successful an casual indirect election. But a monolithic pro-democracy uprising successful 1987 forced Roh and Chun to judge a nonstop statesmanlike predetermination that was regarded arsenic the commencement of South Korea’s modulation to democracy.

Despite his subject background, Roh built a mean and genial representation during the campaign, calling himself an “average person.” He yet won the hotly contested predetermination successful December 1987, mostly acknowledgment to a divided successful wide votes betwixt absorption candidates Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung, who some aboriginal became presidents.

During his five-year term, Roh aggressively pursued ties with communist nations nether his “Northward Diplomacy” arsenic communism fell successful Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union dissolved.

South Korea was past profoundly anti-communist due to the fact that of its rivalry with North Korea, but nether Roh it opened diplomatic relations with a communist federation for the archetypal clip — Hungary successful 1989, the twelvemonth erstwhile the Berlin Wall fell and communism crumbled crossed Eastern Europe.

Roh’s authorities established relations with the Soviet Union successful 1990 and with China successful 1992. Relations with North Korea improved nether Roh, with the 2 sides holding their first-ever premier ministers’ talks, adopting a landmark associated connection connected denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and joining the United Nations astatine the aforesaid time.

Earlier, Roh oversaw the hosting of the 1988 Summer Games successful Seoul, the last Olympics of the Cold War epoch that showed however South Korea had rebuilt itself from the ashes of the 1950-53 Korean War. North Korea boycotted the 1988 games.

Ties betwixt the 2 Koreas person since suffered ups and downs. Despite galore denuclearization pledges — including 1 made during Roh’s presidency — North Korea inactive maintains its atomic weapons programme which it views arsenic a means of survival.

On home politics, Roh was seen by galore arsenic lacking charismatic and assertive leadership. His nickname, “Mul (Water) Tae-woo,” implied his medication had nary colour and nary taste. He inactive brought much openness by allowing much governmental criticism, successful opposition with his authoritarian predecessors, Park and Chun. The governments led by Park and Chun often utilized information laws to suppress governmental opponents and restrict code nether the pretext of guarding against civilian upset and North Korean threats.

After his successor, Kim Young-sam, investigated the coup and military-led crackdown, Roh was arrested, convicted of mutiny, treason and corruption and received a 22-year and six-month situation term. Chun was sentenced to death.

The Supreme Court reduced those sentences to beingness imprisonment for Chun and 17 years for Roh. After spending astir 2 years successful prison, some Roh and Chun were released successful precocious 1997 nether a peculiar pardon requested by past President-elect Kim Dae-jung, who sought nationalist reconciliation amid an Asian fiscal crisis.

Roh had stayed mostly retired of the nationalist oculus pursuing his merchandise from prison, refraining from governmental activities and speeches. In caller years, helium suffered prostate cancer, asthma, cerebellar atrophy and different wellness problems.

Last April, his daughter, Roh So-young, wrote connected Facebook that her begetter had been bed-bound implicit the past 10 years without being capable to talk oregon determination his body. She said her begetter sometimes made oculus gestures for communications but looked to “have a tearful face” erstwhile helium failed to explicit his feelings and thoughts properly.

Roh’s son, Roh Jae-heon, repeatedly offered an apology implicit the 1980 crackdowns and visited a Gwangju cemetery to wage respects to the victims buried determination connected behalf of his bed-ridden father.

But dissimilar Roh’s family, Chun, who reportedly suffers Alzheimer’s illness and a humor cancer, has yet to apologize implicit the crackdowns.

Last August, Chun appeared astatine a Gwangju tribunal to support himself against charges that helium defamed a now-deceased Catholic clergyman who had testified to seeing Chun’s troops shooting 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.”

Both Roh and Chun were earlier ordered by a tribunal to wage backmost hundreds of millions of dollars they collected illegally. Roh has paid backmost his shares but Chun hasn’t done so, according to South Korean media reports.

Roh is survived by his woman and their 2 children.

Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung and erstwhile AP writer Sam Kim contributed to this report.