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Roh Tae-woo

Roh Tae-woo (노태우; 盧泰愚) (born December 4, 1942 in Daegu, South Korea), a Korean general and politician. He was the sixth president of South Korea (1988-1993). Roh was hand-picked by the ex-general Chun Doo-hwan to succeed him as president, triggering large pro-democracy rallies in Seoul and other cities in 1987. In response, Roh agreed to hold democratic presidential elections. Opposition supporters split their vote between two candidates--future presidents Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung--enabling Roh to become the first democratically elected president after the end of military rule.