Kim Dae-jung

He first entered politics in 1954, opposing the policies of Syngman Rhee, but did not win a seat in government until 1961. After several arrests in the 1970s, Kim was sentenced to death on charges of sedition and conspiracy; that sentence was commuted to 20 years in prison. In 1985, after a brief exile in the U.S., he resumed his role as one of the principal leaders of the political opposition. In 1997 he was elected president of South Korea. In 2000 he realized the first summit with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Il and won the Nobel Peace Prize. However he faces allegations of an organizational lobby for the Nobel Peace Prize. Another suspicion that he paid money to persuade Kim Jong Il to meet him discredits him too.

External Links

• Official Nobel page for Kim (http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/2000/index)
• Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200210/200210100032) - A Disgraceful Debate