This is a Korean name; the family name is Kim. A Korean name consists of a Family name followed by a Given name, as used by the Korean people in both North Korea and South Korea Kim is the most common family name in Korea. The name is common in both modern-day North Korea and South Korea.

Kim Dae-jung 김대중
15th President of South Korea
In office February 25, 1998 – February 25, 2003
Prime Minister	Kim Jong-pil Park Tae Joon Lee Han Dong Chang Sang Jeon Yun Churl Chang Dae Whan Kim Suk Soo
Preceded by	Kim Young-sam
Succeeded by	Roh Moo-hyun
Born	December 3, 1925 (1925-12-03) (age 82) Haui-do, South Jeolla, South Korea
Nationality	Korean
Political party	Millennium Democratic
Spouse	Rhee Hee-hoh
Religion	Roman Catholic
Winner of 2000 Nobel Peace Prize

Kim Dae-jung (Born December 3, 1925, pronounced [kim dɛdʑuŋ]) is a former South Korean president and the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize recipient. The Nobel Peace Prize ( Swedish, Danish and Nobels fredspris is one of five Nobel Prizes Bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor The President of the Republic of Korea is according to the Constitution head of state chief executive of the government and commander-in-chief of the armed forces Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Kim Jong-pil (born January 7, 1926) is a South Korean politician and founder of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (the KCIA now the National Kim Young-sam (b 20 December 1927 in Geoje, South Gyeongsang) was the first civilian President of South Korea since a series of Dictatorships Roh Moo-hyun (nomuʝʌn (born in August 6, 1946 in Kimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea is a former President of South Korea Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Haui-do is an island off the South Korean coast in the Yellow Sea, part of Sinan County in Jeollanam-do province Jeollanam-do (South Jeolla is a province in the southwest of South Korea. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː The Nobel Peace Prize ( Swedish, Danish and Nobels fredspris is one of five Nobel Prizes Bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor A Korean name consists of a Family name followed by a Given name, as used by the Korean people in both North Korea and South Korea Hanja is the Korean name for Chinese characters. More specifically it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated The Revised Romanization of Korean is the official Korean language Romanization system in South Korea. McCune-Reischauer romanization is one of the two most widely used Korean language Romanization systems along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a Pseudonym adopted by an Author or their publishers to conceal their identity Hanja is the Korean name for Chinese characters. More specifically it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː The President of the Republic of Korea is according to the Constitution head of state chief executive of the government and commander-in-chief of the armed forces The Nobel Peace Prize ( Swedish, Danish and Nobels fredspris is one of five Nobel Prizes Bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor He is the first Nobel laureate from Korea. ^[1] A Roman Catholic since 1957, he has been called the "Nelson Mandela of Asia"^[2] for his long-standing opposition to authoritarian rule. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (xolíɬaɬa mandéːla born 18 July 1918 is a former President of South Africa, the first to be elected in fully representative Kim Dae-jung was the President (succeeding Kim Young-sam) from 1998 to 2003. Kim Young-sam (b 20 December 1927 in Geoje, South Gyeongsang) was the first civilian President of South Korea since a series of Dictatorships

Early life

Kim first entered politics in 1954 during the administration of Korea's first president, Syngman Rhee. Syngman Rhee or Yi Seungman ( March 26, 1875 – July 19, 1965) was the first president of South Korea. Although he was elected as a representative for the National Assembly in 1961, a military coup led by Park Chung-hee, who later assumed dictator powers, voided the elections. The National Assembly of South Korea is a 299-member Unicameral Legislature. Park Chung-hee ( November 14, 1917 – October 26, 1979) was a former ROK Army general and the autocratic dictator of the Republic A dictator is an Authoritarian ruler (eg Absolutist or autocratic) who assumes sole and absolute power without hereditary ascension such as an Absolute He was able to win a seat in the House in the subsequent elections in 1963 and 1967 and went on to become an eminent opposition leader, which culminated in running a presidential campaign in 1971. He managed a close race against Park despite several handicaps imposed by the ruling regime. He proved to be a supremely talented orator who could command unwavering loyalty among his supporters. His staunchest support came from the Jeolla region, where he reliably garnered upwards of 95% of the popular vote, a record that has remained unsurpassed in South Korean politics. Jeolla ( Jeolla-do in Korean formerly spelled Cholla or Chŏlla) was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty

Kim was almost killed in August 1973, when he was kidnapped from a hotel in Tokyo by KCIA agents in response to his criticism of President Park's yushin program. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. The National Intelligence Service ( NIS) is the chief Intelligence agency of South Korea. The Fourth Republic of South Korea was the government of the country from 1972 to 1979 replacing the Third Republic of South Korea. (See Kidnapping of Kim Dae-jung. The South Korean Dissident leader Kim Dae-jung, later President of South Korea, was kidnapped on August 8, 1973 ) Although Kim returned to Seoul alive, he was banned from politics and imprisoned in 1976 for having participated in the proclamation of an anti-government manifesto and sentenced for five years in prison, which was reduced to house arrest in 1978. Seoul ( soʊl is the Capital and largest City of South Korea.

Kim was reinstated in 1979 after Park Chung-hee was assassinated. However in 1980, Kim was arrested and sentenced to death on charges of sedition and conspiracy in the wake of another coup by Chun Doo-hwan and a popular uprising in Gwangju, his political stronghold. Chun Doo-hwan (born 18 January, 1931) was former ROK Army general and the President of South Korea from 1980 to 1988 The Gwangju Democratization Movement ( Hangul: 광주 민주화운동 refers to a popular uprising in the city of Gwangju, Gwangju Metropolitan City is the sixth largest city in South Korea. With the intervention of the United States government, the sentence was commuted to 20 years in prison and later he was given exile to the U. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the S. Kim temporarily settled in Boston, Massachusetts and taught at Harvard University as a visiting professor to the Center for International Affairs, until he chose to return to his homeland in 1985. During his period abroad, he authored a number of opinion pieces in leading Western newspapers that were sharply critical of his government.

Road to the presidency

Kim was again put under house arrest upon his return to Seoul, but resumed his role as one of the principal leaders of the political opposition. When Chun Doo-hwan succumbed to the popular demand in 1987 and allowed the first democratic presidential election after the 1972 coup, Kim Dae-jung and Kim Young-sam both ran. Kim Young-sam (b 20 December 1927 in Geoje, South Gyeongsang) was the first civilian President of South Korea since a series of Dictatorships The result was a split the opposition vote, with Kim Young-sam receiving 28% and Kim Dae-jung 27% of the vote. The ex-general Roh Tae-woo—Chun Doo-hwan's hand-picked successor—won easily with 36. Roh Tae-woo (born December 4, 1932 in Daegu, South Korea) is a former ROK Army general and politician 5% of the popular vote.

He made yet another failed bid for the presidency in 1992, this time solely against Kim Young-sam, who won as a candidate for the ruling party. Many thought his political career was effectively over when Kim took a hiatus from politics and departed for the United Kingdom to take a position at Clare Hall, Cambridge University as a visiting scholar. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Clare Hall is a College for Advanced Study (admitting only Graduate Students) in the University of Cambridge. The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University) located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the However, in 1995 he announced his return to politics and began his fourth quest for the presidency. The situation became favorable for him when the public revolted against the incumbent government in the wake of the nation's economic collapse in the Asian financial crisis just weeks before the presidential election. The Asian Financial Crisis was a period of Financial crisis that gripped much of Asia beginning in July 1997 and raised fears of a worldwide economic meltdown ( Allied with Kim Jong-pil, he defeated Lee Hoi-chang, Kim Young-sam's successor, in the election held on December 18, 1997, and was inaugurated as the fifteenth President of South Korea on February 25, 1998. Kim Jong-pil (born January 7, 1926) is a South Korean politician and founder of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (the KCIA now the National Lee Hoi-chang (ihøtɕʰaŋ (born June 2, 1935) is a South Korean politician Events 218 BC - Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal 's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) The election was marred with controversy, as two candidates from the ruling party split the conservative vote (38. 7% and 19. 2% respectively), enabling Kim to win with a 40. 3% of the popular vote ^[3]. Kim's chief opponent, Lee Hoi Chang, was a former Supreme Court Justice and had graduated at the top of his class from Seoul National University College of Law. Lee was widely viewed as elitist and his candidacy was further damaged by charges that his sons dodged mandatory military service. Kim's education in contrast was limited to vocational high school, and many Koreans sympathized with the many trials and tribulations that Kim had endured previously.

The preceding presidents Park Chung Hee, Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo, and Kim Young-sam all came from the relatively wealthy Gyeongsang region. Park Chung-hee ( November 14, 1917 – October 26, 1979) was a former ROK Army general and the autocratic dictator of the Republic Chun Doo-hwan (born 18 January, 1931) was former ROK Army general and the President of South Korea from 1980 to 1988 Roh Tae-woo (born December 4, 1932 in Daegu, South Korea) is a former ROK Army general and politician Gyeongsang ( Gyeongsang-do) was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Kim Dae-jung was the first president to serve out his full term who came from the Jeolla region in the southwest, an area that traditionally has been neglected and less developed, at least partly because of discriminatory policies of previous presidents. Jeolla ( Jeolla-do in Korean formerly spelled Cholla or Chŏlla) was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty Kim's administration was in turn overrepresented in individuals from the Jeolla province, leading to charges of reverse discrimination.

Kim's inauguration marked the first time in Korean history that the ruling party peacefully transferred power to a democratically elected opposition victor.

Presidency

Greeting United States President Bill Clinton (left) at APEC meeting in Auckland, September 12, 1999

Kim Dae-jung took office in the midst of the economic crisis that hit South Korea in the final year of Kim Young-sam's term. William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III, August 19 1946 served as the forty-second President of the United States The Auckland metropolitan area or Greater Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country Events 1213 - Albigensian Crusade: Simon de Montfort 5th Earl of Leicester, defeats Peter II of Aragon at the Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) He vigorously pushed economic reform and restructuring recommended by the International Monetary Fund, in the process significantly altering the landscape of South Korean economy. The Economy of South Korea is the third-largest in Asia and the 13th-largest in the world by GDP ( PPP) as of In effect, his policies were to make for a fairer market by holding the powerful chaebol (conglomerates) accountable, e. g. , greater transparency in accounting practices. State subsidies to large corporations were dramatically cut or dropped. His administration is credited by some with overseeing a recovery from the Asian Financial Crisis although many believe that a recovery was inevitable and he actually hampered a full recovery (See below).

His policy of engagement with North Korea has been termed the Sunshine Policy. North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK) a State located in East Asia, The Sunshine Policy was the South Korean doctrine towards North Korea until Lee Myung-bak 's election to presidency in 2008 In 2000, he participated in the first North-South presidential summit with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il, which later led to his winning the Nobel Peace Prize which was later determined to have occurred after paying $500 million to Kim Jong Il. Kim Jong-il (also written as Kim Jong Il) (born 16 February 1941 Vyatskoye, Soviet Union; official biographies state 16 February 1942 Baekdu The Nobel Peace Prize ( Swedish, Danish and Nobels fredspris is one of five Nobel Prizes Bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor The North Korean leader, however, never kept his promise to reciprocate by visiting South Korea. North Korea has not reduced the heavy presence of troops in the DMZ and has continued to work on developing nuclear weapons, which it tested in October 2006. During Kim's administration, North Korean naval vessels intruded into South Korean waters and fired upon a South Korean naval vessel without warning, killing and wounding South Korean sailors. Kim was criticized for not demanding an apology from North Korea and going to Japan to attend a World Cup soccer match in the wake of the gunbattle between the two Koreas.

Kim completed his 5-year presidential term in 2003 and was succeeded by Roh Moo-hyun. Roh Moo-hyun (nomuʝʌn (born in August 6, 1946 in Kimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea is a former President of South Korea A presidential library at Yonsei University was built to preserve Kim's legacy, and there is a convention center named after him in the city of Gwangju, the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center.

Post-presidency

Kim has actively called for restraint against the North Koreans for detonating a nuclear weapon and defended the continued Sunshine Policy towards Pyongyang to defuse the crisis. North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK) a State located in East Asia, The Sunshine Policy was the South Korean doctrine towards North Korea until Lee Myung-bak 's election to presidency in 2008 Pyongyang (pʰjʌŋjaŋ is the Capital and largest City of North Korea, located on the Taedong River, at. He also received an honorary doctorate at the University of Portland on April 17, 2008 where he delivered his speech, "Challenge, Response, and God. "

See also

• Liberalism in South Korea
• Kidnapping of Kim Dae-jung
• North-South presidential summit corruption allegations
• South Korean Presidential Election, 1997

References

External links

• Official Nobel page for Kim
• Kim Dae-jung Presidential Library
• BBC article on his legacy
• CNN Profile of Kim Dai Jung

	Presidents of South Korea
Provisional Government: Rhee Syng-man | Park Eunsik | Yi Sang-ryong | Hong Jin | Yi Dong-nyung | Kim Gu Republic: Rhee Syng-man | Yun Bo-seon | Park Chung-hee | Choi Kyu-hah | Chun Doo-hwan | Roh Tae-woo | Kim Young-sam | Kim Dae-jung | Roh Moo-hyun | Lee Myung-bak