Former South Korean general and 1979 coup leader Chun Doo-hwan dies

Chun Doo-hwan (AP Photo/Yun Jai-hyoung, File)

Former South Korean military strongman Chun Doo-hwan, who seized power in a 1979 coup and brutally crushed pro-democracy protests before going to prison for misdeeds while in office, has died at the age of 90.

Chun, who had suffered in recent years from Alzheimer’s disease and a type of blood cancer, had a heart attack and was declared dead at his home in Seoul, police and officials said.