Former President of South Korea Kim Young-sam passed away

On Sunday 22 November, Former South Korean president Kim Young Sam, died at the age of 88. Kim lobbied against the idea, fearing a possible war.

During his term he also saw his son arrested on charges of bribery and tax evasion, dealing a blow to his legacy as an anti-corruption fighter.

A democratic thorn in the side of General Park Chee-hung and General Chun Doo-hwan during successive dictatorships that lasted almost three decades from 1961, Mr Kim was 27 when he was first elected to the national assembly, making him the youngest ever national-level politician in South Korea. But he was also accused of mismanaging the economy during the Asian financial crisis that forced the government to accept a $58 billion bailout from the global Monetary Fund.

Kim Young-sam was an important figure during South Korea’s pro-democracy movement and opposed the country’s military dictatorship.

South Korea will conduct live-fire artillery exercises on the border with North Korea on the fifth anniversary of the largest armed incident between the two nations despite threats from Pyongyang, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman said.

Upon hearing the news, the president ordered government agencies to prepare for Kim’s funeral with respect.

The North later expressed its “deep regret” for the intrusion, which left 24 North Korean agents and 13 South Koreans dead.

Kim was born into a rich fishing family on December 20th, 1927, on Goeje Island off the southeastern coast of Korea, while the country was still under Japanese colonial rule. During the Korean War, he anchored a Defense Ministry propaganda radio program.

But a few months later, he broke with the ruling regime in protest of a constitutional revision and joined the opposition party, suffering hardships from the military rulers.

Survivors include his wife and five children.