Kim Dae-jung (born 1925) was elected president of South Korea in 1997. He worked for the restoration of democracy and human rights in South Korea following the last popular presidential election there, held in 1971. In spite of many threats on his life and a series of imprisonments, he continued to show resistance to political repression under the Fifth Republic.
Kim Dae-jung, a dissident politician in South Korea's Fifth Republic (created in 1980), represented the cause of restoring democracy and human rights in his country. Condemned by court to death for his alleged role in the Kwangju uprising, from May 18 to 27, 1980, Kim's life was subsequently spared. He was allowed to travel to the United States, where he spent slightly more than two years in exile. In February of 1985 he returned to South Korea to resume his political activity, with the help of American friends who accompanied him to Korea as part of the "Campaign To Assure A Safe Return for Kim Dae Jung."
In the turmoil of South Korea's party politics, Kim Dae-jung represented a formidable dissident voice of political opposition to President Chun Doo Hwan's authoritarian government.
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