Ex-presidents of S Korea to be released

Seoul - Families of victims of a 1980 army massacre in South Korea's south-western city of Kwangju have agreed to accept the …

Seoul - Families of victims of a 1980 army massacre in South Korea's south-western city of Kwangju have agreed to accept the government's decision to free former presidents Chun Doo Hwan and Roh Taewoo, the Jung-Ang Ilbo newspaper has reported.

The government decided on Saturday to free the disgraced former leaders in an effort to unite a nation in deep economic crisis. A statement from the president's office said Chun and Roh would be freed today with 23 associates jailed in connection with slush fund scandals, a 1979 coup and the Kwa ngju massacre a year later.