Parties praise Kim's efforts for democracy, reconciliation

SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's political parties on Tuesday expressed
deep condolences over the death of former President Kim Dae-jung, praising his
lifelong achievements that established the country's democratization and paved
the way for reconciliation with North Korea.

Kim, who served as president from 1998-2003, died at Seoul's Severance Hospital
after a month-long battle with pneumonia and related complications, hospital
officials said. He was 85.
"South Korea has lost a great leader. Former President Kim devoted his life to
democracy, human rights and the development of warm relations between the two
Koreas," ruling Grand National Party (GNP) spokesman Yoon Sang-hyun said.
The GNP hopes that Kim's lifelong wishes will be realized through people's unity
and peace between the two Koreas, Yoon said.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) mourned the death of a man it praised
as "the great mentor."
"We're not prepared to send you off. You've stood tall in front of menacing
dictatorship and have taught us that the people who we've fought as enemies were
actually our brethren," Noh Young-min, the party's spokesman, said in a
statement.
Kim gained widespread popularity for his unstinting opposition to the nation's
authoritarian rulers in the 1970s and 80s. South Korea's only Nobel laureate to
date, he endured abduction, torture and multiple arrests while pushing forward
the nation's pro-democracy movement.
He was also the first South Korean leader to shake hands with North Korea's head
of state in 2000, the first sign of reconciliation after nearly 50 years of
bitter and often tense ties.
"The year 2009 is a cruel year as even you have left us while our grief over the
loss of former President Roh Moo-hyun still looms large. May you rest in peace,"
DP spokesman Noh said, referring to the suicide of former President Roh back in
May.
Roh, Kim's immediate successor, took his own life during a prosecution-led
investigation into allegations of graft by his family and close aides. He is
largely seen as having inherited Kim's legacy of rapprochement with the North.
The splinter opposition Liberty Forward Party (LFP) praised Kim for overcoming
the political turbulence of his time.
"The many achievements and footprints that the departed has left will be
remembered and appraised by generations to come," said LFP spokesperson Park
Sun-young.
The late president's death marks the end of the so-called era of the "three Kims"
that dominated the nation's political landscape for decades.
The term refers to the late president, as well as former president Kim Young-sam
and former Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil, who as leaders of rival parties
alternately clashed or formed alliances as political need and personal ambition
dictated. At times a counterbalance to the ruling party, the three were harshly
criticized for fomenting the regionalism that surfaced in elections following the
end of military-led rule in 1987.
While Kim Young-sam enjoyed the backing of the conservative southeastern
Gyeongsang provinces, Kim Dae-jung had unchallenged support from the southwestern
Jeolla region. Kim Jong-pil received support from the central Chungcheong region.

Kim's death is likely to have a broader impact on the main opposition DP, which
is seen as being closely aligned with the former president. The party's leaders
have often sought Kim's advice and endorsement in times of difficulty, with Kim's
words carrying weight in party decisions.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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