Former Lawmaker Dies at 74
By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
Former Gunsan Mayor Kang Geun-ho died Wednesday after suffering from a chronic disease for several years. He was 74.
Kang was elected as the second and third mayor of Gunsan in North Jeolla Province from 2001 to 2004.
But he is mostly widely known as the former lawmaker who first revealed the so-called ``Silmido scandal'' to the National Assembly in 1971.
The scandal involved a secret plan to assassinate the North Korean leader with a group of specially trained ex-convicts in the late 1960s. A film was made of the story that set a box-office record in 2004.
Kang's efforts to seek the truth behind the scandal led the then minister of national defense to resign.
But the following year Kang was kidnapped and tortured by the dictatorial government. The incident left him with permanently damaged legs, and he had to use a walking stick for the rest of his life.
He is survived by his wife, three sons and one daughter. His funeral will be held on Feb. 1 at Seoul National University Hospital.