Kim Young-Sam Former President of the Republic of Korea. Date of Birth: 20.12.1927 Country: South Korea

Biography of Kim Young Sam

Kim Young Sam, born on December 20, 1927, in Koje, Kyungsangnam-do, was the 14th President of the Republic of Korea from February 25, 1993, to February 25, 1998. He studied at Seoul National University, graduating in 1952 with a bachelor's degree in philosophy. During the Korean War, he served in the army of South Korea.

In 1954, Kim was elected to the National Assembly of Korea and served as a representative for the cities of Koje and Pusan for nine terms. He opposed the authoritarian government and even resigned from his parliamentary seat when President Lee Seung Man attempted to amend the constitution. Later, he became a vocal critic of the military governments of Park Chung Hee and Chun Doo Hwan. As a result, he was expelled from the National Assembly and banned from politics from 1980 to 1985.

During the first democratic elections in the country in 1987, Kim Young Sam and Kim Dae Jung were rivals, despite both being part of the opposition. The division within the opposition allowed their fellow opposition member, Roh Tae Woo, to win the elections. In 1990, Kim unexpectedly merged his Democratic Party for Peace with the ruling Democratic Justice Party. With this new support, he managed to defeat Kim Dae Jung in the 1992 presidential elections.

As president, Kim Young Sam attempted to reform the administrative system and the economy. One of his first actions was an anti-corruption campaign, which required military and government officials to disclose their financial reports. He arrested former presidents Chun Doo Hwan and Roh Tae Woo on charges of corruption. He also granted amnesty to thousands of political prisoners and dropped all charges against those involved in the Kwangju Uprising in the early 1980s.

In terms of the economy, Kim Young Sam's main focus was on reforming the chaebols, the largest South Korean corporations.