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Kim Dae-jung

Kim Dae-jung
김대중
Kim Dae-jung (Cropped).png
Kim in 2001
8th President of South Korea
In office
25 February 1998 – 25 February 2003
Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil
Park Tae-Joon
Lee Han-dong
Chang Sang
Chang Dae-whan
Kim Suk-soo
Preceded by Kim Young-sam
Succeeded by Roh Moo-hyun
Member of the National Assembly
In office
30 May 1988 – 19 December 1992
Constituency Proportional Representation
In office
1 July 1971 – 17 October 1972
Constituency Proportional Representation
In office
17 December 1963 – 30 June 1971
Constituency Mokpo (South Jeolla)
In office
14 May 1961 – 16 May 1961
Constituency Inje (Gangwon)
Personal details
Born (1924-01-06)6 January 1924
Sābu-do, Sin'an, Zenra-nandō, Japanese Korea
(now Hauido, Sinan County, South Jeolla Province, South Korea)
Died 18 August 2009(2009-08-18) (aged 85)
Seoul, South Korea
Cause of death Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome
Resting place Seoul National Cemetery, Seoul, South Korea
Political party Democratic Party (1956-61)
Democratic Party (1963-65)
New Democratic Party (1967-80)
Unification Democratic Party (1987)
Peace Democratic Party (1987-91)
Democratic Party (1991-92)
National Congress for New Politics (1995-2000)
Democratic Party
Independent
Spouse(s) Cha Yong-ae (m. 1945; d. 1959)
Lee Hui-ho (m. 1962–2009)
Children Kim So-hee(daughter,1946-47)
Kim Hong-il(son,1948)
Kim Hong-up(son,1950)
Kim Hong-gul(son,1963)
Parents Kim Woon-sik and Jang Su-geum
Education Mokpo Commercial High School
Religion Roman Catholicism (baptismal name: Thomas)
Awards Nobel Peace Prize (2000)
Philadelphia Liberty Medal (1999)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance  South Korea
Service/branch Republic of Korea Navy
Rank Sublieutenant
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised Romanization Gim Daejung
McCune–Reischauer Kim Taejung
Pen name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised Romanization Hugwang
McCune–Reischauer Hugwang

Kim Dae-jung (Korean pronunciation: [kimdɛdʑuŋ]; 6 January 1924 – 18 August 2009) was the 8th President of South Korea from 1998 to 2003, and the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize recipient. He was sometimes referred to as the "Nelson Mandela of Asia".

Kim was born on 6 January 1924, but he later registered his birth date to 3 December 1925 to avoid conscription during the time when Korea was under Japanese colonial rule. Kim was the second of seven children to middle-class farmers. Kim was born in Sinan in what was then the Jeolla province; the city is now in Jeollanam-do. Kim's family had moved to the nearby port city of Mokpo so that he could finish high school. Kim graduated from Mokpo Commercial High School in 1943 at the top of the class. After working as a clerk for a Japanese-owned shipping company during the Imperial Japanese occupation of Korea, he became its owner and became very rich. Kim escaped Communist capture during the Korean War.

Kim first entered politics in 1954 during the administration of Korea's first president, Syngman Rhee. Although he was elected as a representative for the National Assembly in 1961, a military coup led by Park Chung-hee, who later assumed dictatorial powers, voided the elections. 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. As such, he was the natural opposition candidate for the country's presidential election in 1971. He nearly defeated Park, despite several handicaps on his candidacy which were imposed by the ruling regime.


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