Former ROK President Roh Tae-woo Passes Away at Age 88

Roh actually did a lot for modern day South Korea such as hosting a very successful Olympic Games in 1988, removing nuclear weapons from South Korea, and opening diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union. The most important thing he did is transition the ROK into a full democracy. However, his ties to former President Chun Doo-hwan’s military coup and the Gwangju Uprising Incident will mean he will never have a positive legacy that will be remembered:

Roh Tae-woo, South Korea’s last general-turned-president who played a key role in a 1979 coup before winning election through a direct vote at the start of South Korea’s democratization, died Tuesday, aides said. He was 88.

Roh, who served as president from 1988-93, was recently admitted to a hospital after his health deteriorated but failed to recover, they said.

The former president received surgery for prostate cancer in 2002 and was frequently admitted to hospitals while living at his residence in Seoul. He also suffered from cerebellar atrophy and asthma, which together kept him largely out of the public eye.

Yonhap

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