'Chile's Trump' Former President Pi?era Dies in Helicopter Crash

Centrist Right-Wing Politician and Former CEO
Two Visits to Korea... "Respect for Korea's Remarkable Development"

Former Chilean President Sebasti?n Pi?era (aged 74) passed away on the 6th (local time). The cause of death was a helicopter crash.

Former Chilean President Sebasti?n Pi?era at the 2018 inauguration ceremony
[Photo by Yonhap News]

According to local daily newspapers La Tercera and El Mercurio, the accident occurred in the afternoon at Lake Ranco, about 900 km from the capital Santiago. The cause of the helicopter crash has not yet been determined, and the condition of the three passengers on board is also unknown. The helicopter fuselage is reported to have sunk to a depth of 40 meters.

La Tercera reported, "Former President Pi?era was returning home after visiting his friend and businessman Jos? Cox."

Former President Pi?era was a center-right politician with a background as a corporate CEO. He gained great popularity for solid economic growth and groundbreaking parental leave policies. Due to his status as a chaebol, he was sometimes called the "Trump of Chile," but his governance style was considered much more moderate than that of the Trump administration.

Pi?era visited South Korea twice, in 2012 and 2019, holding summit talks with then Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Moon Jae-in. During his state visit in 2019, he expressed his intention for economic cooperation, saying, "We have closely observed Korea. We admire Korea’s remarkable development."

Meanwhile, Chilean President Gabriel Boric (37) held an emergency press conference on the same day, stating, "We feel great sorrow over this tragedy and want to send a hug of solidarity to the bereaved families." The Chilean government declared a three-day mourning period.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.