Kim Dae-jung << kihm dy juhng >> (1924?-2009) served as president of South Korea from 1998 to 2003. Before he became president, Kim had run for the presidency several times but had always lost during a long career of opposition to South Korea’s dictatorships. In 2000, Kim held a summit with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-il. It was the first time the leaders of the two Koreas had met since the peninsula had been divided. Kim Dae-jung won the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end hostility between North and South Korea.
Kim Dae-jung was born on Haui Island, off the southwest coast of South Korea. At different periods of his life, he had claimed to have been born on Jan. 6, 1924, or on Dec. 3, 1925. Some historians believe that the earlier date is likelier, and that he claimed the later date to avoid being drafted to fight for the Japanese during World War II (1939-1945). Kim studied economics at Kyung Hee University in Seoul. In the late 1940’s, he started his own shipping company. In 1950, the Korean War began when troops from Communist-ruled North Korea invaded South Korea. Kim was arrested by the North Koreans as a “reactionary capitalist” and barely escaped execution by a firing squad.
After the war ended in 1953, Kim entered politics. Following several unsuccessful campaigns for a seat in the national legislature, he won election in 1960. In 1961, however, a group of military officers led by Park Chung-hee overthrew the South Korean government and dissolved the legislature. In 1963, Park restored the legislature. Kim was elected to a seat and won reelection in 1967. In 1971, Kim was defeated in a campaign against Park for the presidency. Many people charged that Park had won through fraud.
During the 1970’s and early 1980’s, Kim continued to speak out against a government that increasingly restricted the freedom of the South Korean people. He spent many months in prison and under house arrest. In 1982, he was forced to leave South Korea, and he moved to the United States. Kim returned to his country in 1985. He was defeated in presidential campaigns in 1987 and 1992, but was victorious in 1997. He took office in 1998. He stepped down in 2003. Kim died in Seoul on Aug. 18, 2009.
See also Kim Jong-il; Korea, South (Recent developments).
