Lee Geun-an, the notorious former South Korean police inspector who terrorized dissidents during the Chun Doo-hwan dictatorship, has died at age 88. Known as the 'torture master' or 'black bear' by his victims, Lee gained infamy for his brutal interrogation techniques that extracted fabricated confessions from activists and ordinary citizens.

Lee's methods included waterboarding with hot-pepper powder, electric shocks, and bone dislocation. He traveled with a suitcase containing a tracksuit and running shoes, changing before sessions and sometimes chewing gum throughout. His reputation was so feared that anti-espionage interrogators across the country requested his services. Lee wrote his interrogation reports in impeccable handwriting, tearing pages if he misspelled words rather than crossing them out.

His identity remained secret until 1988 when the liberal newspaper Hankyoreh published his name and photograph. After disappearing for years, Lee surrendered to police in 1999 and was sentenced to seven years for torturing Kim Sung-hak. He remained unrepentant, calling his methods 'a sort of art' rather than torture. Lee died in poverty, unable to pay damages awarded to victims' families, leaving behind a legacy that the Korea Democracy Foundation said 'cannot erase the atrocities he committed.'