Keepsakes Show Humble Life
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
About 40 keepsakes of the late former President Kim Dae-jung were presented to the public Saturday, showing Kim’s passion for life, family, democracy and world peace.
Among the most intriguing items were the letters he sent to family members while he was imprisoned during the 1970s and 80s.
Since he was restricted in the number of sheets he could use, Kim economized his paper. One of the sheets had 14,000 letters written on both sides, detailing how much he loved his family and how apologetic he felt.
“It is really hard to read some of them because the letters are so small,” said Choi Kyung-hwan, the deceased former President’s press secretary. “But he thought those were the only chances to communicate with the outside world.”
Alongside the letters, Kim left many items that showed his love for his wife Lee Hee-ho. Throughout his various prison sentences, torture and bouts of sickness, Lee continued to support him and Kim continually showed his appreciation.
While he was in jail for his pro-democracy movement in the 1970s and 80s, Lee knitted a pair of gloves and socks for him. She also sent a folding fan for summer, adorned with biblical phrases, and Kim kept it all. “It was either very cold or hot in jail and Lee always cared for him,” Choi said.
A Japanese-English dictionary, published in 1972, was with him until his final days. He used a huge magnifying glass to read the small letters, his secretaries said. He also had his own signature, “Conscience in Action,” that he used to stamp every letter written or calligraphy piece he made.
His cane, Bible, pajamas, shoes, handkerchief, notebook, cushions, suit and slippers featured in the exhibit all looked old. His aides said he liked to keep things clean but humble.
“The former President is dead but his watch still goes on ticking,” Choi said. “That’s life.”