Tribute to Kim Dae-jung

By Tong Kim

The funeral of former President Kim Dae-jung brought a high-level North Korean condolence delegation to Seoul, making it possible to hold the first cabinet level meeting to discuss inter-Korean relations since the start of the Lee Myung-bak administration. As of this writing, the North Korean delegation has extended its stay in Seoul by one day to deliver Chairman Kim Jong-il's message to President Lee. Dialogue has resumed.

Former President Kim is also known to have influenced Bill Clinton's visit to the North that freed two American reporters. The North is easing up on tensions through a series of conciliatory moves, including the release of a South Korean detainee and the lifting of restrictions on access to the Gaeseong Industrial Complex. Kim Jong-il made promises to Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jung-eun for more positive measures. A North Korean official has also visited Bill Richardson, governor of New Mexico, to convey Pyongyang's desire for talks with Washington.

Kim Dae-jung will undoubtedly go down in Korean history as one of the greatest leaders, if not the greatest ever since the birth of the Republic of Korea in 1948. No other leader or statesman before him would find a kinder place in history than he. No other political leader had suffered more than Kim Dae-jung for his conviction in the value of democracy and human rights. No other leader had ever worked harder to bring about national reconciliation between the North and the South toward peaceful unification.

The only historic figure who comes close to Kim Dae-jung would be Kim Ku, a legendary nationalist patriot who fought for independence from Japanese rule and who after liberation opposed the setting up of separate governments in the North and the South. But Kim Ku did not enjoy international acclaim like Kim Dae-jung, who was an international celebrity for his struggle for democracy and peace even before he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

An outpouring of respectful tributes to Kim Dae-jung from so many domestic and world leaders, including President Lee, Chairman Kim Jong-il, and President Barack Obama is unprecedented on the death of a former Korean president. Kim Dae-jung was truly a great leader who earned respect at home and from around the world.

As he wrote in a diary on his 85th birthday in January this year, his life was ``a journey of struggling for democracy at the risk of (his) life, rebuilding the economy and making every effort to open the window for inter-Korean reconciliation."

A week later on Jan. 15, he wrote a cryptic note as if he knew his life was going to end, ``I've lived a long life. In my life, I have upheld Jesus' teaching that we should care for the oppressed." Kim Dae-jung was a caring leader for the underprivileged and the poor.

He added, ``On numerous occasions of persecution ― including kidnapping, death sentence, imprisonment, surveillance and bugging ― I survived with my faith in history and my trust in the people." He loved his wife, the people and the country. He respected equal rights for women.

Even his critics do not dispute his contribution to democratization in Korea, although many of them are still unhappy with the consequence of President Kim Dae-jung's Sunshine Policy, which the Clinton administration fully supported. One can argue that history is yet to judge whether or not Kim Dae-jung's engagement effort was the right policy. But as Kim Dae-jung said many times, dialogue would be the only option to peacefully resolve the North Korean nuclear issue.

Practicing Christian love, Kim Dae-jung had forgiven and reconciled with his political enemies ― who had even tried to kill him. Another former president, Kim Young-sam, who had often belittled Kim Dae-jung, finally reconciled with his archrival shortly before Kim Dae-jung died. After that, Kim Young-sam was among the first to lower the flag at his home upon the passing away of his lifelong competitor. Incidentally, Kim Dae-jung had seldom responded in kind to Kim Young-sam's personal attack on him.

Kim Dae-jung believed in reconciliation. He believed that progressives and conservatives can work together in a two-party system and compete for better policy and more service for the people. After the last presidential election, former President Kim Dae-jung, who was regarded as the godfather of progressives, congratulated President Lee, trusting that Lee would carry on the main thrust of his North Korean policy, as Lee told him in person during the campaign.

Kim Dae-jung watched the continuing deterioration of inter-Korean relations for more than 10 months before he started expressing his dissatisfaction with President Lee's policy. In his own words, Kim Dae-jung had to speak out of ``conscience in action" and from his compassion for the people regarding his concerns for what seemed to be a retreat in democracy, a crisis in the economy for the poor, and a worsening confrontation with the North.

Kim Dae-jung's passing has brought a rare opportunity for national reconciliation. President Lee should seize the momentum to practice his ``pragmatic centrism" to integrate society by accommodating some of the policies of his predecessor governments well intended for the less privileged. President Lee deserves credit for having decided to hold a ``state funeral," upgrading from a ``people's funeral," and allowing citizens to pay tribute to the late President without being surrounded by police forces armed with mob control gear.

Kim Dae-jung's position on the nuclear issue is well known. In his May 25 diary, he wrote, ``I deplore North Korea's second nuclear test. That should never be allowed." He also said Obama's neglect of North Korea may also have contributed to the nuclear test.

In an undelivered speech that he wrote before he went to the hospital from which he never returned, he said, ``As we all know, it is impossible to resolve the nuclear issue by war. Neither is it possible to rely on sanctions for resolution, as long as China would not fully cooperate. At the end, we must have dialogue …

``North Korea must completely give up its nuclear weapons, and the United States must normalize its relations with North Korea and accept it as a member of the international community. There is no other option."

What's your take?

Tong Kim is a research professor with the Ilmin Institute of International Relations at Korea University and an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He can be reached at tong.kim8@yahoo.com.