Roh Tae-woo

Roh Tae-woo (4 December 1932 – 26 October 2021), was the sixth President of South Korea (1988–1993). He was a Korean general and politician. A member of the Hanahoi, Roh was the hand-picked successor of the ex-general and president Chun Doo-hwan. This caused large pro-democracy rallies in Seoul and other cities in 1987. Roh agreed to hold democratic presidential elections, making himself a candidate for the next election. The opposition split the votes between Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung (both of whom later became presidents). This made Roh the first elected president after the time that the military ruled the country.

His Excellency Roh Tae-woo
노태우 盧泰愚
Roh in February 1988
6th President of South Korea
In office 25 February 1988 – 24 February 1993
Prime Minister	Lee Hyun Jae Kang Young Hoon Ro Jai-bong Shin Hyon Hwak Chung Won Shik Hyun Soong-jong
Preceded by	Chun Doo-hwan
Succeeded by	Kim Young-sam
President of the Democratic Liberal Party
In office 9 May 1990 – 28 August 1992
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Kim Young-sam
President of the Democratic Justice Party
In office 5 August 1987 – 2 February 1990 Acting: 10 July 1987 – 5 August 1987
Preceded by	Chun Doo-hwan
Succeeded by	Position abolished
President of the Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee
In office 11 July 1983 – 7 May 1986
Leader	Juan Antonio Samaranch
Preceded by	Kim Yong-shik
Succeeded by	Park Seh-jik
Minister of Home Affairs
In office 28 April 1982 – 6 July 1983
President	Chun Doo-hwan
Preceded by	Suh Jong-hwa
Succeeded by	Chu Yong-bok
Minister of Sports
In office 20 March 1982 – 28 April 1982
President	Chun Doo-hwan
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Lee Won-kyong
Personal details
Born	(1932-12-04)4 December 1932 Tatsujō-gun, Taikyū, Keishōhoku-dō, Chōsen (now Dong-gu, Daegu, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea)
Died	26 October 2021(2021-10-26) (aged 88) Seoul, South Korea
Nationality	South Korean
Political party	Independent
Other political affiliations	Democratic Justice (1980–1990) Democratic Liberal (1990–1992)
Spouse(s)	Kim Ok-suk ​ (m. 1959)​
Children	Roh Soh-yeong (daughter) Roh Jae-heon (son)
Alma mater	Korea Military Academy (B.S.)
Religion	Buddhism → Protestantism
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	South Korea
Branch/service	Republic of Korea Army
Years of service	1950–1981
Rank	General
Commands	9th Infantry Division, Capital Defense Command, Defense Security Command
Battles/wars	Korean War Vietnam War
Korean name
Hangul	노태우
Hanja	盧泰愚
Revised Romanization	No Tae-u
McCune–Reischauer	No T'aeu
Pen name
Hangul	용당
Hanja	庸堂
Revised Romanization	Yongdang
McCune–Reischauer	Yongdang

This is a Korean name; the family name is Roh.

Roh's rule was notable for hosting the Seoul Olympics in 1988 and for his foreign policy of nordpolitik.

In 1993, Roh's successor Kim Young-sam led an anti-corruption campaign that saw Roh and Chun Doo-hwan on trial for bribery. The two former presidents were later charged with mutiny and treason for their part in the 1979 coup and the 1980 Gwangju Riot.

Both were found to be guilty in August 1996 of treason, mutiny and corruption. Chun was sentenced to death, later changed to life imprisonment. Roh's 22 1/2-year jail sentence was reduced to 17 years. Both were released from prison in early 1998, pardoned by then-President Kim Dae-jung.

Roh died on October 26, 2021, at the Seoul National University Hospital in Seoul at the age of 88.

References

Preceded by Chun Doo-hwan

President of South Korea 1988-1993

Succeeded by Kim Young-sam