Ex-South Korean strongman Chun Doo-hwan dies aged 90

Former South Korean military strongman Chun Doo-hwan, who crushed pro-democracy demonstrations in 1980, has died. He was 90.

Emergency officials say Chun died Tuesday morning. Police earlier said Chun suffered a cardiac arrest at his Seoul home and emergency officials rushed to his residence.

Chun seized power in a 1979 military coup and ruled South Korea for about eight years. He brutally suppressed pro-democracy protests and detained tens of thousands of people to consolidate his grip on power.

Official data say about 200 people were killed in a government crackdown in 1980 on protests in the southern city of Gwangju.