14th President of the Republic of Korea, who opened the civilian government
| Life | 1929 ~ 2015 |
| Era | 근현대 |
| Clan | 김녕 김씨 |
Kim Young-sam served as the 14th President of South Korea (1993-1998) after entering politics as the country's youngest-ever National Assembly member and going on to win nine terms. For decades he led the opposition against military rule; in 1983, marking the third anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising, he staged a 23-day hunger strike demanding democratization that left him hospitalized for malnutrition, and in 1981 he organized the Democratic Mountain Climbers' Association with other politically banned figures to unify the opposition.
When the 1990 merger of three parties formed the Democratic Liberal Party, he was named its leading co-chairman, a position that propelled him to the presidency. As president he abruptly introduced the real-name financial and real-estate transaction systems, fully implemented local self-government, and dismantled the secretive military faction Hanahoe. He also demolished the former Japanese Government-General building and pursued “setting history straight” by prosecuting figures behind the 1979 coup and the Gwangju crackdown, including former presidents, though his term ended amid the 1997 Asian financial crisis.
He had two sons and three daughters; his second son, Kim Hyun-chul, also became a politician. Following a 2015 state funeral, he was interred at the Seoul National Cemetery.
Seoul National Cemetery (Dongjak-gu, Seoul)