A former military commander, Chun presided over the 1980 Gwangju army massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators, a crime for which he was later convicted and received a commuted death sentence. Former South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan, whose iron-fisted rule of the country following a 197 9military coup sparked massive democracy protests, died on Tuesday, November 23, 2021, at the age of 90, the Yonhap news agency said. Chun had multiple myeloma, a blood cancer which was in remission, and passed away at his Seoul home, Yonhap said. A former military commander, Chun presided over the 1980 Gwangju army massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators, a crime for which he was later convicted and received a commuted death sentence. In an instant he seemed to have grown into a giant," Park Jun-kwang, Chun's subordinate during the coup later told journalist Cho Gab-je.

Source: The Hindu November 23, 2021 04:22 UTC