In recent years, Kim had been treated at the hospital for stroke, angina and pneumonia, Oh added.
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During his presidency, he had his two predecessors indicted on mutiny and treason charges stemming from a coup.
Kim pardoned the two convicted military strongmen – Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo – at the end of his term.
Kim’s anti-graft drive was later tarnished after his son was arrested on charges of bribery and tax evasion.
Next week’s talks come amid diplomatic shifts in the Northeast Asia region that have left North Korea looking more isolated than ever, with Seoul moving closer to Pyongyang’s main diplomatic and economic ally China, and improving strained relations with Tokyo. Kim feared a possible war.
The deal collapsed in 2002 when the USA accused North Korea of running a secret uranium nuclear program, sparking the latest nuclear crisis. Later that year, the North bombed an island of the South, killing four people.
Despite the reunions, there are continuing animosities between the Koreas, which share the world’s most heavily fortified border since their 1950-1953 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
According to reports, three South Koreans remained in the custody of the North Korea for crossing the country without permission. Kim Jong Il was the father of Kim Jong Un.
North Korea on Saturday rejected a UN resolution on its human rights violations as a product of the hostile policy by the United States seeking to topple its socialist regime.
The North has reportedly since expressed regret over a landmine incident that wounded South Korean soldiers, despite denying it was an apology.
Mr Kim was credited with disbanding a key military faction and bringing transparency to the South’s murky financial system.
Kim saw the country’s economy take a nose-dive in the final months of his presidency, weighed down by massive foreign debt and culminating in the biggest bailout of the Asian financial crisis by the global Monetary Fund.
Kim was born into a rich fishing family in 1927 when the country was still under Japanese colonial rule.
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.
But in 1979, his anti-government activities and opposition to then-President Park Chung-hee resulted in Kim’s expulsion from the legislative chamber.
During that chaotic period, Maj.
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A leading figure in the pro-democracy movement, Kim was twice placed under house arrest for a total of two years in the early 1980s.
