Kim Dae-jung (3 December 1925 – 18 August 2009) was President of South Korea from 1998 to 2003, and the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize recipient. A Roman Catholic since 1957, he has been called the "Nelson Mandela of Asia" for his long-standing opposition to authoritarian rule.
The son of a middle-class farmer, Kim was born in Mokpo in what was then the Jeolla province; the city is now in South Jeolla province. Kim graduated from Mokpo Commercial High S...
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Kim Dae-jung (3 December 1925 – 18 August 2009) was President of South Korea from 1998 to 2003, and the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize recipient. A Roman Catholic since 1957, he has been called the "Nelson Mandela of Asia" for his long-standing opposition to authoritarian rule.
The son of a middle-class farmer, Kim was born in Mokpo in what was then the Jeolla province; the city is now in South Jeolla province. Kim graduated from Mokpo Commercial High School in 1943 at the top of the class. After working as a clerk for a Japanese-owned shipping company during the Japanese occupation of Korea, he became its owner and became very rich. Kim escaped Communist capture during the Korean War.
Kim first entered politics in 1954 during the administration of Korea's first president, Syngman Rhee. Although he was elected as a representative for the National Assembly in 1961, a military coup led by Park Chung-hee, who later assumed dictatorial powers, voided the elections. He was able to win a seat in...
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