- Born:
- December 20, 1927, Geoje Island, South Gyeongsang province, Korea [now in South Korea]
- Died:
- November 22, 2015, Seoul, South Korea
- Title / Office:
- president (1993-1998), South Korea
- Political Affiliation:
- Democratic Liberal Party
Kim Young-Sam
-
Who was Kim Young-Sam?
Kim Young-Sam (1927–2015) was a South Korean politician and president from 1993 to 1998.
Kim's political career included:
* Election to the National Assembly in 1954
* Expulsion from the assembly in 1979 for opposing Pres. Park Chung-Hee
* House arrest and ban from political activity under Gen. Chun Doo-Hwan's government in 1980
* Unsuccessful presidential run in 1987
* Merger of his party with the ruling Democratic Justice Party in 1990
* Election to the presidency in 1992As president, Kim established civilian control over the military and launched reforms to combat political corruption. Although South Korea's economy grew rapidly during his tenure, his popularity declined due to corruption scandals and a financial crisis in 1997.
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What role did Kim Young-Sam have in South Korea?
Kim Young-Sam was president of South Korea from 1993 to 1998. Elected in December 1992, he was the candidate of the Democratic Liberal Party. Once in office, Kim sought to reform the government, eliminate political corruption, and establish civilian control over the military. His administration allowed for the prosecution of his two presidential predecessors, Roh Tae-Woo and Chun Doo-Hwan, for crimes they had committed while in power. Although the South Korean economy grew rapidly during his presidency, towards the end of his tenure, his popularity declined due to corruption scandals and a financial crisis.
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When did Kim Young-Sam serve as president of South Korea?
Kim Young-Sam was president of South Korea from 1993 to 1998. He was elected in December 1992 as the candidate of the Democratic Liberal Party. During his presidency, Kim launched reforms to eliminate political corruption and abuses of power and established civilian control over the military. Although the South Korean economy grew rapidly and the standard of living improved, his popularity declined due to corruption scandals and a financial crisis. Kim was constitutionally barred from seeking a second term and was succeeded by Kim Dae-Jung.
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What changes did Kim Young-Sam introduce during his presidency?
Kim Young-Sam, president of South Korea from 1993 to 1998, implemented significant changes during his tenure. He solidified civilian control over the military and aimed to enhance the government's responsiveness to the public. Kim initiated reforms to combat political corruption and abuses of power, even allowing the prosecution of his predecessors, Roh Tae-Woo and Chun Doo-Hwan, for crimes committed during their presidencies. Under his leadership, the South Korean economy experienced rapid growth, leading to a higher standard of living comparable to other industrialized nations.
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How did Kim Young-Sam help to promote democracy in South Korea?
Kim Young-Sam, a South Korean president from 1993 to 1998, significantly promoted democracy in South Korea. Once in office, Kim solidified civilian control over the military and worked to make the government more responsive to the people. He initiated reforms aimed at eradicating political corruption and abuses of power. As part of these reforms, he allowed the prosecution of his two presidential predecessors, Roh Tae-Woo and Chun Doo-Hwan, for crimes committed while in office.
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What were some challenges Kim Young-Sam faced as president, and how did he address them?
Kim Young-Sam, South Korea's president from 1993 to 1998, faced several challenges during his term. He sought to reinforce civilian control over the military and launched an anticorruption initiative, even prosecuting his two predecessors, Chun Doo-Hwan and Roh Tae-Woo, for crimes committed while in office.
Despite these efforts, corruption remained entrenched, with his own son arrested on bribery and tax evasion charges. Kim also had to contend with a severe economic downturn and a financial crisis that swept through Southeast and East Asia in late 1997, leading to a decline in his popularity.
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Kim Young-Sam (born December 20, 1927, Geoje Island, South Gyeongsang province, Korea [now in South Korea]—died November 22, 2015, Seoul, South Korea) was a South Korean politician, moderate opposition leader, and president from 1993 to 1998.
Kim graduated from Seoul National University in 1952 and was first elected to the National Assembly in 1954. A centrist liberal, he was successively reelected until 1979, when he was expelled (on October 9) from the assembly for his opposition to Pres. Park Chung-Hee. His expulsion touched off riots and demonstrations. To protest Kim’s dismissal, all 66 opposition members of the assembly resigned. After Park’s assassination on October 26, it was assumed that Kim would be a contender in the presidential election, but the military takeover of the government by Gen. Chun Doo-Hwan in May 1980 precluded this possibility. Soon after taking power, Chun put Kim under house arrest; in November 1980 Kim was banned from political activity for eight years, and his party was also banned.
The Chun government lifted his house arrest in June 1983 after Kim staged a 23-day hunger strike, and he resumed his political activity in 1985. That year he reasserted his leadership of the moderate opposition to President Chun. Kim ran unsuccessfully for the South Korean presidency in 1987, splitting the antigovernment vote with the rival opposition leader and presidential candidate Kim Dae-Jung. In 1990 Kim Young-Sam merged his Reunification Democratic Party with the ruling Democratic Justice Party, led by Pres. Roh Tae-Woo, thus forming a center-right party, called the Democratic Liberal Party (DLP), that dominated Korean politics. As the candidate of the DLP, Kim won election to the presidency in December 1992, defeating Kim Dae-Jung and another opposition candidate, Chung Joo-Youn, chairman of the Hyundai chaebol (conglomerate).
Once in power, Kim established firm civilian control over the military and tried to make the government more responsive to the electorate. He launched reforms designed to eliminate political corruption and abuses of power, and he even allowed two of his presidential predecessors, Roh Tae-Woo and Chun Doo-Hwan, to be prosecuted for various crimes they had committed while in power. The South Korean economy continued to grow at a rapid rate during Kim’s presidency, and, with wages rising rapidly, the standard of living reached that of other industrialized countries.
Kim was constitutionally barred from seeking a second term as president. His popularity declined rapidly in the last year of his five-year term because of corruption scandals in his administration and the increasingly precarious state of the South Korean economy, which was caught in a financial crisis that swept through Southeast and East Asia in late 1997. He was succeeded as president by Kim Dae-Jung.