Ex-South Korean President Dies At 88

Ex-South Korean president, Roh Tae-woo has lost his life at the age of 88, according to his aides.

The aides disclosed that Roh, who served as president from 1988 to 1993, was recently admitted to hospital after his health deteriorated.

Roh, a former general, succeeded former president Chun Doo Hwan after helping him seize power through a 1979 military coup.

The coup filled a power vacuum created by the death of former authoritarian President Park Chung Hee.

Roh established relations with the Soviet Union in 1990 and with China in 1992. Relations with North Korea improved under Roh, with the two sides holding their first-ever prime ministers’ talks in 1990 and both countries joining the United Nations at the same time in 1991.

Roh disappeared from the public eye some 20 years ago after being diagnosed with prostate cancer and suffering several other illnesses.

He is survived by his wife Kim Ok-sook and his two children, a son and a daughter.