Seoul, Nov. 23 (BNA) Former President Chun Doo-hwan, a general turned strongman, died Tuesday at the age of 90.
Aides said Chun died at his home in western Seoul around 8:40 a.m. after suffering from leukemia and chronic diseases.
Min Jeong-ki, a former presidential secretary, said his body will be taken to Severance Hospital in Seoul.
Min said Chun’s last wish was to bury his remains “on high ground in the front line overlooking North Korean territory,” adding that Chun’s body will be cremated before being buried at a location to be determined later.
The former army general rose to power after he staged a coup following the assassination of President Park Chung-hee in 1979 and ruled the country until 1988.
Chun was born into a poor family in Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province on January 18, 1931, and entered the Korean Military Academy in 1951.
At the academy, he befriended Roh Tae-woo, who later became his right-hand man and served in various positions during Chun’s administration before being elected president himself and Chun’s successor.
Before becoming president, Chun enjoyed a illustrious career that included a stint at the government’s spy agency, the Army’s First Special Forces Group, which he headed, and as a member of Park’s Presidential Security Service, Yonhap news agency reported.
At the time of Park’s assassination in October 1979, Chun was the head of the Defense Security Command and led an investigation into the case.
In December, he took power in a coup that was done with Roh’s help.