Kim Young Sam

Kim Young Sam 1927-, South Korean political leader, b. Gyeongsang prov. He was first elected to the National Assembly in 1954 and served nine terms. A long-time political dissident and opponent of military rule, he was banned from politics from 1980 to 1985 and was twice subjected to house arrest. Kim was an unsuccessful presidential candidate in 1987, but after three decades in opposition he shrewdly merged his party with the ruling party in 1990 to form the Democratic Liberal party (now the New Korea party). In 1993 he became the first nonmilitary president in more than 30 years, and initiated political and economic reforms, but in 1998, amid corruption scandals and public loss of confidence, he was succeeded by his rival Kim Dae Jung .

Kim Young Sam (b. 20 Dec. 1927). President of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) 1993–8 Born near Pusan, he graduated in sociology from the Seoul National University in 1951. He became a secretary to Syngman Rhee, but left the ruling Liberal Party in 1954, in protest against Rhee's dictatorial style. Together with Kim Dae Jong, he subsequently emerged as one of the country's foremost oppositional leaders, becoming Chairman of the New Democratic Party. He was put under house arrest after the Kwanju massacre in 1980, and later became co-chairman of the Council for Promotion of Democracy with Kim Dae Jong. His candidacy in the 1987 presidential elections against Kim Dae Jong split the opposition and allowed the government candidate, Roh Tae Woo, to win. He consented to the merger of his Reunification Democratic Party (established in 1987) with the ruling Democratic Justice Party and the New Democratic Republican Party to form the Democratic Liberal Party under Roh Tae Woo in 1990. He was elected head of the party in 1992, winning the presidential elections of 18 December 1992. South Korea's first civilian President in 32 years, he continued his predecessors' careful political reforms, while clamping down on popular protests with similar ferocity. Kim asserted civilian control over the military, and allowed the prosecution of his predecessors on allegations of corruption. He was barred by the Constitution from running for a second term, but his reputation was also shaken by the onset of the Asian economic crisis in 1997.

Kim Young Sam (1927– ) South Korean statesman, president (1992–98). In 1979 he was banned from politics for his opposition to President Park Chung Hee: the ban was lifted in 1985. As leader of the Democratic Liberal Party (DLP), Kim Young Sam became the first civilian president of South Korea. His efforts to reduce government corruption and abuses of power led to the arrests of former presidents Chun Doo Hwan and Roh Tae Woo. Kim's own government, however, became embroiled in a financial scandal and the economic crisis that swept through Southeast Asia in 1997 brought South Korea to the brink of financial collapse. Kim Dae Jung narrowly defeated Kim Young Sam in the 1997 elections.