hankyoreh

Former South Korean President Choi Kyu-hah died Sunday at the age of 88, officials at a Seoul hospital said.

Choi briefly served as the nation's interim president between 1979 and 1980, following the assassination of former President Park Chung-hee in October 1979.

Choi was found unconscious at his home in western Seoul around 6 a.m. and was taken to the Seoul National University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:37 a.m., according to the officials.

The exact cause of his death was not immediately available, but hospital officials said they believed it was heart failure.

"Choi was rushed to the emergency room at around 6:40 a.m., but rescue officials said his heart stopped 20 minutes prior to his arrival," hospital spokesman Park Sang-yong said.

"(Doctors) performed emergency resuscitation for 52 minutes after his arrival, but he passed away at 7:37 a.m.," the spokesman added.

The former president's security officials earlier said Choi had nurses standing watch at his house as his health had recently deteriorated. He was reportedly found unconscious by one of his nurses. He is survived by two sons and one daughter.

The government has reportedly decided to hold a state funeral for the former president, which can last for up to seven days, Yoon Tae-young, a spokesman for the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, said.

The final decision and other details of Choi's funeral were to be reached at a Cabinet meeting Monday morning, according to the presidential spokesman.

A ceremonial hall has been set up for the deceased at the university hospital, where former presidents Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung offered their condolence to the bereaved family.

"As one of the greatest figures in our diplomatic history, the late president contributed greatly to our nation," Kim Dae-jung told the family.

President Roh Moo-hyun also sent his condolences via his aides, including Cheong Wa Dae chief of staff Lee Byung-wan, according to his spokesman Yoon. He called the late president's family at around 5 p.m. to offer his sympathy, the spokesman said.

Born in 1919 in Wonju of Gangwon Province, Choi joined the administration in 1946, one year after the country's liberation from Japanese colonial rule.

He served in various Cabinet posts under Park Chung-hee: as foreign minister from 1967 to 1971, as the presidential advisor for security from 1971 through 1975, and as prime minister from 1976 to 1979.

Choi became acting president in October 1979 when Park was assassinated by his intelligence chief. He won a December election later that year to become the country's fourth president, as head of the nation's 10th administration.

But he was forced to step down following a 1980 military coup by Chun Doo-hwan, who later succeeded him.

Seoul, Oct. 22 (Yonhap News)