Kim Young-sam

Kim Young-sam
김영삼
Kim visiting Jeju Island in 1996
7th President of South Korea
In office 25 February 1993 – 25 February 1998
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
Preceded by	Roh Tae-woo
Succeeded by	Lee Hoi-chang
President of Democratic Reunification
In office 12 May 1988 – 22 January 1990
Preceded by	Kim Myung-yoon
Succeeded by	party merger
In office 1 May 1987 – 8 February 1988
Preceded by	office created
Succeeded by	Kim Myung-yoon
President of New Democratic Party
In office 7 June 1979 – 27 October 1980
Preceded by	Lee Chul-seung
Succeeded by	party dissolution
In office 21 August 1974 – 21 September 1976
Preceded by	Kim Eui-taek
Succeeded by	Lee Chul-seung
Member of the National Assembly
In office 30 May 1992 – 13 October 1992
Constituency	Proportional Representation
In office 30 May 1988 – 29 May 1992
Constituency	Seo (Busan)
In office 29 July 1960 – 4 October 1979 (expelled)
Constituency	Seo (Busan)
In office 31 May 1954 – 30 May 1958
Constituency	Geoje (South Gyeongsang)
Personal details
Born	(1927-12-20)20 December 1927 Geoje Island, Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, Japanese Korea
Died	22 November 2015(2015-11-22) (aged 87) Seoul, South Korea
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

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.