Ex-US ambassador to Skorea recalls life of Kim Dae-jung
Updated
South koreans are mourning the death of a former president who spent his life pursuing democracy and re-unification with the North - Kim Dae-jung died at the age of 85 from heart failure after suffering pneumonia and other symptoms. During a turbulent political career, Kim Dae-jung was the target of assassination attempts, beatings and a kidnapping. Now, there have been tributes from the US president Barack Obama, the UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, and the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-il, who plans to send a delegation to Kim Dae-jung's funeral.
Presenter: Liam Cochrane
Speaker: James Laney, former US ambassador to South Korea and now emeritus professor at Emory University in Atlanta
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LANEY: Well, he was a man that was completely committed to the task of freedom and democracy in Korea. This was the life long mission and as the years went on and he suffered imprisonment and exile and so things like that. This only hardened him in that determination that that should take place and so in a way he was a man completely consumed by his mission, a powerful politician, with a great sense of rhetoric and appeal to the masses, who struck terror in the hearts of the military government during the 60s and 70s because of his innate popularity.
COCHRANE: One of the things that he is most remembered for is the being the architect of the 'sunshine policy'. Can you tell me how important that was in the Korean relations?
LANEY: Well, it was extraordinarily important, because upon at his inauguration, he had this new policy at the outset and established it right then and offered North Korea a friendly hand if they would cease and desist in their belligerent attitude and activities. The culmination of course was his bid to North Korea's meeting with the leader, Kim Jong Il in the year 2000. That year, be the way, was the high watermark of relationships in trying to establish a peaceful Korean Peninsula, because Washington and Seoul were together. Bill Clinton was the president and he sent Madeleine Albright to North Korea after Kim Dae-jung had gone up there on his summit.
At that point, President Clinton was prepared to go to North Korea himself, but time ran out. He was succeeded of course by George Bush who completely reversed that policy and from that point on North Korea began its serious business of manufacture of nuclear weapons which we are all acquainted with now.
COCHRANE: The year 2000, the year of that visit to North Korea was also the year he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, but before that kind of recognition he suffered greatly for his political ideals. He survived several attempts to kill him. Why was he targeted?
LANEY: Well, he was targeted because he was such a threat to the military leaders at that time. His attempts to bring about true democracy were anathema to them and they knew that he needed to get out of the way, because as long as he was alive, he was a symbol of hope and a rallying cry for the democratic movement in South Korea.
COCHRANE: Now James Laney, I understand you met with Kim Dae-jung reasonably recently in the last 12 months. What was he saying at that occasion?
LANEY: Well, he was of course dismayed at the turn of events and he was of course absolutely against the North having nuclear weapons. Our conversation, it was last December and it was studded with his deep concern about the drift toward greater mutual animosity between the North and the South the lack of policy in the United States that seemed to be supportive of any kind of engagement. He was also hopeful, of course, with the election of President Barack Obama.
