Former South Korean military dictator Chun Doo-hwan dies at 90

Former South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan leaves for a court in Seoul, South Korea, August 9, 2021. Yonhap via REUTERS

SEOUL (Reuters) -Former South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan, whose iron-fisted rule of the country following a 1979 military coup sparked massive democracy protests, died on Tuesday at the age of 90, his former press aide 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.