Former South Korean President Kim Young-sam, an iconic figure of South Korea’s pro-democracy movement, has died early Sunday (November 22, 2015).
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In opposition, he became the target of government supporters and had a bottle of acid thrown at his auto in 1969. He was expelled from parliament in 1979 for leading protests against President Park Chung-hee, father of current President Park.
If confirmed, the banishment of Choe Ryong Hae would be the latest in a series of executions, purges and dismissals that Kim has orchestrated in what analysts say is a further strengthening of his grip on power since taking over in late 2011. Kim staged a 23-day hunger strike that helped his return to politics.
Five years after North Korea fired shells on to a South Korean island, Pyongyang vowed on Sunday to retaliate mercilessly should Seoul hold fire drills near the border on the anniversary.
In office, Kim launched a popular anti-corruption campaign and had his two predecessors, Chun Doo-Hwan and Roh, arrested on bribery charges that later morphed into trial for mutiny and treason.
He defeated Kim Dae-jung in Presidential election 1992. The two countries eventually defused tensions after a series of talks.
North Korea mobilized many young adults to complete the construction of the power station at the foot of Mount Baekdu, the highest peak on the Korean Peninsula.
The terms of the deal were widely seen by South Koreans as a national humiliation and an infringement of the country’s economic sovereignty.
Mr. Kim was credited with disbanding a key military faction and bringing transparency to South Korea’s murky financial system. But he was also accused of mismanaging the economy during the Asian financial crisis that toppled a few of the country’s debt-ridden conglomerates and forced the government to accept a $58-billion (U.S.) bailout from the worldwide Monetary Fund.
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Born on December 20, 1927 Kim Young-sam was a democratic activist, who served as the seventh President of South Korea from 1993 to 1998. During the Korean War, he anchored a defense ministry’s propaganda radio program, Yonhap reported. He leaves his wife, two sons and three daughters.
