| Former Prime Minister Kang Young-hoon |
Former Prime Minister Kang Young-hoon, who served as the nation's prime minister under President Roh Tae-woo, passed away Tuesday. He was 94.
Korean Red Cross officials said that Kang passed away at Seoul National University Hospital.
Born in Changseong County, North Pyeongan Province in present-day North Korea, Kang served as the head of the Korean Red Cross, lawmaker and militaryman throughout his life. He also served as a diplomat, as Korea's ambassador to Britain and the Vatican.
He fought in the 1950-1953 Korean War as a deputy corps commander in the Korean Army. He was imprisoned for rejecting the May 16 military coup by Park Chung-hee.
After his discharge in 1961, he served as a diplomat. In 1988, he entered the National Assembly as a Democratic Justice Party lawmaker. He was appointed prime minister by President Roh Tae-woo in 1988 and served until 1990. In September 1990, he engaged in the first inter-Korean prime ministerial talks held in Seoul. In October that year, he visited Pyongyang, North Korea, along with then Unification Minister Hong Seong-cheol, meeting the North Korean founder Kim Il-sung.
Kang is survived by his wife, and three children.