Kim Young-sam was a former South Korean president and the first civilian leader of the country’s modern democratic era. He passed away at the age of 88 on 22 November, 2015, after being hospitalised for several days with a fever.
He rose in politics through the National Assembly from the 1950s to the 1970s. In 1954 when he was first elected in his mid-20s, Kim was the youngest member of the legislative house. However, in 1979, his anti-government activities and opposition to then-President Park Chung-hee resulted in expulsion from the legislative chamber. Riots and protests ensued, and all 66 opposition members of the assembly resigned.
In the early 1980s, a military regime put him under house arrest. Kim went on a 23-day hunger strike that helped him to return to politi...
Kim Young-sam was a former South Korean president and the first civilian leader of the country’s modern democratic era. He passed away at the age of 88 on 22 November, 2015, after being hospitalised for several days with a fever.
He rose in politics through the National Assembly from the 1950s to the 1970s. In 1954 when he was first elected in his mid-20s, Kim was the youngest member of the legislative house. However, in 1979, his anti-government activities and opposition to then-President Park Chung-hee resulted in expulsion from the legislative chamber. Riots and protests ensued, and all 66 opposition members of the assembly resigned.
In the early 1980s, a military regime put him under house arrest. Kim went on a 23-day hunger strike that helped him to return to politics. An iconic figure of South Korea’s pro-democracy movement, his presidency ended more than three decades of military rule when he won in the 1992 elections.
He worked to reform the government and targeted political corruption, succeeding in having two military ex-presidents indicted on mutiny, treason and corruption charges. They were convicted and sent to prison, but Kim pardoned them two years later.
The economy grew rapidly during his administration. Sadly his administration experienced its own round of corruption in his last year, and even one of his own sons, an aide at the time, was arrested for bribery and tax evasion. Other aides were involved in a scandal over dubious loans to a failed steel company. Kim made a public apology to the country for the bribery scandal. His son, Hyun-chul, was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison, on top of being ordered to pay a fine. At the same time, the economy was hit hard by the Southeast Asia financial crisis.
Despite being recognised for overturning military rule and bringing transparency to South Korea’s financial system, many also blame him for mismanaging the economy during the Asian financial crisis, forcing the government to accept what was seen as a humiliating US $58 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund.
Kim is survived by his wife, two sons, and three daughters.
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