Kim Young Sam

Kim Young Sam, born in 1927, president of South Korea (1993-1998). Born on the island of Geoje, he graduated from the prestigious Seoul National University in 1952. Two years later he won a seat in the National Assembly, the country's legislature.

Kim became a leading advocate for democratic political reforms after General Park Chung Hee of the military seized power in 1961. In 1979 Kim was expelled from the National Assembly for criticizing Park's regime and spent two years under house arrest. In 1987, faced with massive protests by students and a burgeoning middle class, the military government, under President Chun Doo Hwan, agreed to many democratic reforms. Kim ran for president in 1987, but the opposition camp split its vote and Roh Tae Woo won the election.

In 1990 Kim joined forces with Roh to form the Democratic Liberal Party, and when Roh announced he would not seek reelection in 1992, Kim secured the party's nomination. A moderate progressive, Kim called for gradual economic and political reform gained popular support. Kim won the general election in December over the chief opposition party candidate, Kim Dae Jung.

Kim Young Sam assumed the presidency of South Korea in February 1993 as relations with Communist North Korea worsened and as the economy, a juggernaut in the 1980s, slowed to more modest growth rates. Soon after taking office he ordered a crackdown on corruption within the government, resulting in the resignation of many high-level officials. In November 1995 he called for the prosecution of South Korea's former military leaders for the 1980 massacre of prodemocracy demonstrators in the city of Gwangju. Chun and Roh, along with 14 retired generals, were subsequently tried and convicted for their roles in the massacre and in the coup that brought Chun to power. The two former presidents also were tried and convicted separately on charges they had accepted hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes while they were in office.