South Korea mourns ‘kingmaker’ Lee Hae-chan after fatal heart attack in Vietnam
The former prime minister had two cardiac arrests while in Ho Chi Minh City for a Peaceful Unification Advisory Council meeting
Lee died on Sunday, after emergency medical aid for a heart attack, a South Korean presidential advisory panel said in a statement.
The 73-year-old reportedly complained of flu-like symptoms before his departure to Vietnam and decided to return home one day after his arrival since his condition did not improve.
While waiting for his return flight at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport, he experienced shortness of breath and was transported to the hospital. He reportedly suffered cardiac arrest twice, once during the transfer and again at the hospital.
Lee spearheaded government reform as prime minister from 2004 to 2006. The seven-term former member of parliament had started out as a student activist who was jailed in the 1970s for leading a democracy movement.