Kim Young-sam | |
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김영삼 | |
Kim visiting Jeju Island in 1996
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7th President of South Korea | |
In office 25 February 1993 – 25 February 1998 |
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Prime Minister |
Hwang In Sung Lee Hoi-chang Lee Yung-dug Lee Hong-koo Lee Soo-sung Goh Kun |
Preceded by | Roh Tae-woo |
Succeeded by | Kim Dae-jung |
President of New Korea Party | |
In office 8 August 1992 – 30 September 1997 |
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Preceded by | Roh Tae-woo |
Succeeded by | Lee Hoi-chang |
President of Democratic Reunification | |
In office 12 May 1988 – 22 January 1990 |
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Preceded by | Kim Myung-yoon |
Succeeded by | party merger |
In office 1 May 1987 – 8 February 1988 |
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Preceded by | office created |
Succeeded by | Kim Myung-yoon |
President of New Democratic Party | |
In office 7 June 1979 – 27 October 1980 |
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Preceded by | Lee Chul-seung |
Succeeded by | party dissolution |
In office 21 August 1974 – 21 September 1976 |
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Preceded by | Kim Eui-taek |
Succeeded by | Lee Chul-seung |
Member of the National Assembly | |
In office 30 May 1992 – 13 October 1992 |
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Constituency | Proportional Representation |
In office 30 May 1988 – 29 May 1992 |
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Constituency | Seo (Busan) |
In office 29 July 1960 – 4 October 1979 (expelled) |
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Constituency | Seo (Busan) |
In office 31 May 1954 – 30 May 1958 |
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Constituency | Geoje (South Gyeongsang) |
Personal details | |
Born |
Geoje Island, Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, Japanese Korea |
20 December 1927
Died | 22 November 2015 Seoul, South Korea |
(aged 87)
Resting place | Seoul National Cemetery, Seoul |
Nationality | South Korean |
Political party |
Liberal (1954–1958) Democratic (1958–1961) New Democratic (1967–1980) Democratic Korea (1981–1985) New Korean Democratic (1985–1987) Democratic Reunification (1987–1990) Democratic Liberal (1990–1997) Independent (1997–2015) |
Spouse(s) | Son Myung-soon |
Children | Kim Hye-young(daughter,1952) Kim Hye-jeong(daughter,1954) Kim Eun-chul(son,1956) Kim Hyun-chul(son,1959) Kim Hye-sook(daughter,1961) |
Alma mater | Seoul National University (B.A.) |
Religion | Presbyterianism |
Signature | |
Military service | |
Allegiance | South Korea |
Service/branch | Republic of Korea Army |
Rank | Student soldier |
Korean name | |
Hangul | 김영삼 |
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Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Gim Yeongsam |
McCune–Reischauer | Kim Yŏngsam |
Pen name | |
Hangul | 거산 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Geosan |
McCune–Reischauer | Kŏsan |
Kim Young-sam (Hangul: 김영삼; Hanja: 金泳三; Korean pronunciation: [kim jʌŋsʰam]; 20 December 1927 – 22 November 2015) was a South Korean politician and democratic activist, who served as the seventh President of South Korea from 1993 to 1998. From 1961, he spent almost 30 years as one of the leaders of the South Korean opposition, and one of the most powerful rivals to the authoritarian regimes of Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan.
Elected president in 1992, Kim became the first civilian to hold the office in over 30 years. He was inaugurated on 25 February 1993, and served a single five-year term, presiding over a massive anti-corruption campaign, the arrest of his two predecessors, and an internationalization policy called Segyehwa.
Kim was born in Geoje Island, by the southeastern tip of the Korean peninsula, to a rich fishing family on 20 December 1927, when Korea was under Imperial Japanese rule. He was the eldest of one son and five daughters in his family. During the Korean War, Kim served in the South Korean military. In 1952, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Seoul National University.
In 1954, Kim was elected to the National Assembly of South Korea, as a member of the party led by Syngman Rhee, the first president of South Korea. At the time of his election, Kim was the youngest member of the national assembly. A few months after his electoral victory, Kim left his party and joined the opposition when Rhee attempted to amend the constitution of South Korea. Kim then became a leading critic, along with Kim Dae-jung, of the military governments of Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan.