Former South Korean dictator Chun Doo-hwan's grandson on Friday apologised for the Gwangju massacre committed in the 1980s to crush the pro-democracy protests. The 27-year-old Chun Woo-won met with the families of the bereaved at the May 18 Memorial Culture Centre in the southern city of Gwangju — the epicentre of the uprising and conveyed his apologies by bowing in front of them.

Former South Korean dictator Chun Doo-hwan's grandson on Friday apologised for the Gwangju massacre committed in the 1980s to crush the pro-democracy protests. The 27-year-old Chun Woo-won met with the families of the bereaved at the May 18 Memorial Culture Centre in the southern city of Gwangju — the epicentre of the uprising and conveyed his apologies by bowing in front of them. This is the first instance when a member of the family has publicly apologised for the actions of Chun Doo-hwan. The move by New York-based Chun has attracted widespread media coverage with many hailing it as both symbolic and significant. "I give my sincere apologies. I am sorry. As a family member, I acknowledge that my grandfather Chun Doo-hwan was a sinner and slaughterer who committed such a great crime," said Chun. "The citizens of Gwangju, who overcame fear in the midst of military dictatorship and stood against it with courage are heroes and truly the light and salt of our country." WATCH | Gravitas: History of the Korean Conflict × Chun admitted that he was indoctrinated with an inaccurate and distorted version of history by his family since childhood. "Out of fear of suffering consequential damage, my family and I had looked away from the hideous crime we had committed." To this day, Chun Doo-hwan is known as the "Butcher of Gwangju" but he died without apologising for his barbaric actions. In a 2017 memoir, he denied any direct involvement in the suppression of the uprising whilst denouncing a priest who claimed that helicopter gunships had opened fire on civilians. Though the official toll for the dead or missing stands around 200 — activists believe that the number could be three times as high. ALSO READ | Former South Korean dictator Chun guilty of defamation over massacre Chun was one of the most ruthless dictators to have ever ruled over the Korean country. Throughout the 1980s, he ruled with an iron fist while brutally repressing opponents until mass demonstrations forced him to accept democracy. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

‘He was a sinner’: South Korean dictator’s grandson apologises for 1980 Gwangju crackdown

At least nine people were killed and eight were injured when a five-story building collapsed suddenly on Wednesday while it was in the midst of a demolition process and fell onto a busy street in&nbsp;South&nbsp;Korea, officials at a local fire station said.

The building collapsed as it was being demolished in Gwangju, some 270 kilometers of the southwest of capital Seoul, officials at the Gwangju Fire and Safety Headquarters said.

The reason for the collapse was unclear, according to the fire station.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/south-korea-mayor-apologises-for-falling-prey-to-vaccine-scam-390439">Also Read |&nbsp;South Korea: Mayor apologises for falling prey to vaccine scam</a>

Gwangju Fire and Safety Headquarters officials said the fire station had received the report of the collapse, which buried a bus that was near the construction site.

As of 8:25 p.m. local time, a total of 17 people were affected by the accident, said fire station officials, including nine who were confirmed dead and eight who were seriously injured and taken to hospitals.

South&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;has been known in the past for having a bad safety record in terms of infrastructure. A department store collapse killed more than 500 people in 1995, and a bridge collapse in 1994 killed 49 people, but the country has in recent years tried to improve its safety record.

At least nine people were killed and eight were injured when a five-story building collapsed suddenly on Wednesday while it was in the midst of a demolition process and fell onto a busy street in South Korea, officials at a local fire station said.

At least nine people were killed and eight were injured when a five-story building collapsed suddenly on Wednesday while it was in the midst of a demolition process and fell onto a busy street in South Korea, officials at a local fire station said. The building collapsed as it was being demolished in Gwangju, some 270 kilometers of the southwest of capital Seoul, officials at the Gwangju Fire and Safety Headquarters said. The reason for the collapse was unclear, according to the fire station. Also Read | South Korea: Mayor apologises for falling prey to vaccine scam Gwangju Fire and Safety Headquarters officials said the fire station had received the report of the collapse, which buried a bus that was near the construction site. As of 8:25 p.m. local time, a total of 17 people were affected by the accident, said fire station officials, including nine who were confirmed dead and eight who were seriously injured and taken to hospitals. South Korea has been known in the past for having a bad safety record in terms of infrastructure. A department store collapse killed more than 500 people in 1995, and a bridge collapse in 1994 killed 49 people, but the country has in recent years tried to improve its safety record.

South Korea building collapses suddenly, killing nine

Michael Phelps paid tribute to Hungarian teenager Kristof Milak's "beautiful technique" after he took down the American legend's long-standing 200 metres butterfly record at the world championships in South Korea.

Phelps described Milak's time of one minute, 50.73 seconds in Gwangju as "incredible", although he admitted his astonishment was tinged with sadness at losing a world record which had stood since 2009.

"As frustrated as I am to see that record go down, I couldn't be happier to see how he did it," Phelps told the New York Times.

"That kid's last 100 was incredible. He put together a great 200 fly from start to finish."

The 19-year-old Milak sliced a whopping 0.78 seconds off Phelps's previous world best, which was achieved during the bodysuit era, after flirting with the record for much of the past season.

"It happened because there was a kid who wanted to do it, who dreamed of doing it, who figured out what it would take to do it," said Phelps, who had a special fondness for the 200m fly.

"(He) worked on his technique until it was beautiful and put in the really, really hard work that it takes to do it - my hat's off to him."

Milak became the first swimmer to go under 1:51 minutes, while his winning margin was, remarkably, more than three seconds as Japan's Daiya Seto finished a distant second and the South African Chad le Clos third.

Le Clos, who famously beat Phelps in the 2012 London Olympic final, shrugged: "Kristof is in another league - he's a hell of a lot faster than all of us."

Milak said he was "honoured" to break a world record held by Phelps, who he had worshipped growing up and watched videos of to polish his technique.

"I wasn't expecting to break the record," he admitted. "But if you put in the hard work, good things happen and I was ready. I just tried to block everything out and find a good rhythm."

Michael Phelps paid tribute to Hungarian teenager Kristof Milak's "beautiful technique" after he took down the American legend's long-standing 200 metres butterfly record at the world championships in South Korea.

Michael Phelps paid tribute to Hungarian teenager Kristof Milak's "beautiful technique" after he took down the American legend's long-standing 200 metres butterfly record at the world championships in South Korea. Phelps described Milak's time of one minute, 50.73 seconds in Gwangju as "incredible", although he admitted his astonishment was tinged with sadness at losing a world record which had stood since 2009. "As frustrated as I am to see that record go down, I couldn't be happier to see how he did it," Phelps told the New York Times. "That kid's last 100 was incredible. He put together a great 200 fly from start to finish." The 19-year-old Milak sliced a whopping 0.78 seconds off Phelps's previous world best, which was achieved during the bodysuit era, after flirting with the record for much of the past season. "It happened because there was a kid who wanted to do it, who dreamed of doing it, who figured out what it would take to do it," said Phelps, who had a special fondness for the 200m fly. "(He) worked on his technique until it was beautiful and put in the really, really hard work that it takes to do it - my hat's off to him." Milak became the first swimmer to go under 1:51 minutes, while his winning margin was, remarkably, more than three seconds as Japan's Daiya Seto finished a distant second and the South African Chad le Clos third. Le Clos, who famously beat Phelps in the 2012 London Olympic final, shrugged: "Kristof is in another league - he's a hell of a lot faster than all of us." Milak said he was "honoured" to break a world record held by Phelps, who he had worshipped growing up and watched videos of to polish his technique. "I wasn't expecting to break the record," he admitted. "But if you put in the hard work, good things happen and I was ready. I just tried to block everything out and find a good rhythm."

Phelps hails 'incredible' Hungarian teenager Milak after losing world record

Two people died and one person is missing in South Korea as powerful typhoon Kong-Rey hit the country on Saturday, the government said.&nbsp;

A 66-year-old man died while crossing a bridge in the city of Gwangju, south of Seoul, the national disaster management agency said without elaborating on the cause of the death.&nbsp;

Another man, aged 83, was found dead after being washed away by a river in a southern county of Yeongdeok, while a 76-year-old went missing after falling into a river in the southern port of Pohang.&nbsp;

The powerful typhoon dumped heavy rain across the country from Friday before moving away from the peninsula Saturday afternoon. &nbsp; &nbsp;

Two people died and one person is missing in South Korea as powerful typhoon Kong-Rey hit the country on Saturday, the government said. A 66-year-old man died while crossing a bridge in the city of Gwangju, south of Seoul, the national disaster management agency said without elaborating on the cause of the death.

Two people died and one person is missing in South Korea as powerful typhoon Kong-Rey hit the country on Saturday, the government said. A 66-year-old man died while crossing a bridge in the city of Gwangju, south of Seoul, the national disaster management agency said without elaborating on the cause of the death. Another man, aged 83, was found dead after being washed away by a river in a southern county of Yeongdeok, while a 76-year-old went missing after falling into a river in the southern port of Pohang. The powerful typhoon dumped heavy rain across the country from Friday before moving away from the peninsula Saturday afternoon.

Two dead, one missing as Typhoon Kong-Rey hits South Korea

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