Widow of last South Korean dictator offers ‘deep apology’ for husband’s brutal rule

The widow of South Korea’s last military dictator issued an apology for the “pains and scars” caused by her husband’s rule.

Lee Soon-ja, whose husband Chun Doo-hwan died at the age of 90 on 23 November, said on Saturday that she was “deeply sorry” for the alleged atrocities committed during his brutal dictatorship, but neglected to specify them and was roundly criticised for doing so.

Chun had seized power in a 1979 coup, after which he oversaw a brutal massacre of hundreds of pro-democracy activists in the city of Gwangju in 1980.