“If the South Korean military fires at the waters of the DPRK in the hotspot area of the West Sea of Korea on Monday, they will experience merciless retaliation of the Southwestern Front units of the DPRK on the five islands”, the North’s official KCNA news agency quoted spokesman for the southwestern front command of the Korean People’s Army as saying.
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Authorities said he died of complications from sepsis and heart failure three days after being admitted to the hospital.
For decades, Kim fought against military rulers and pushed for democratic reform.
During his road to the presidency, he laid the foundation for a peaceful power transfer in a country that had experienced several military coups.
He balked at the Clinton administration’s concept of putting a North Korean nuclear complicated in 1994.
At one point, the U.S. military drew up plans for a strike against the Yongbyon facility – an act that Kim staunchly opposed on the grounds that it would nearly certainly lead to a full-scale conflict.
Kim’s popularity nosedived after a few of South Korea’s biggest companies collapsed during the Asian financial crisis in 1997, prompting the country to seek emergency aid through the global Monetary Fund.
Mr Kim also launched a popular anti-corruption campaign and vowed not to receive any political slush funds, though this was later tarnished when his son was arrested on charges of bribery and tax evasion.
Kim was credited with disbanding a key military faction and bringing transparency to the South’s murky financial system.
It was not known whether the South would stage any such exercise and the defence ministry was not available for comment.
“I believe Ban’s moves are aimed at relieving South-North tensions and for the peace on the Northeast Asia”, said another ruling-party lawmaker.
Kim was elected to the South Korean National Assembly in 1954, quickly aligned with the opposition party that had been working to rewrite the country’s constitution.
Later, in the early 1980s, President Chun Doo-hwan put Kim under house arrest twice that lasted two years.
Kim parted ways with his opposition ally Kim Dae-jung when he joined forces with Roh in 1992 as a stepping stone to his presidency.
Kim Young-sam took part in South Korea’s first free direct presidential election in 1987.
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Kim is survived by his wife, two sons and three daughters.
