Lee pays tribute to late ex-President Kim Young-sam on 10th anniversary of death
Lawmakers pay tribute to late former President Kim Young-sam at the National Cemetery in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap
President Lee Jae Myung paid tribute Friday to late former President Kim Young-sam on the 10th anniversary of his death, vowing to lead the nation toward a more mature democracy.
Kim, who served as president from 1993 to 1998, was credited with formally ending decades of military rule in Korea, but his term was significantly tarnished with the Asian financial crisis that eventually forced the nation to accept a bailout fund from the International Monetary Fund.
Kim is buried at Seoul National Cemetery.
"No matter the hardship or challenges that lie ahead, we will continue our unwavering march toward a more mature democratic country and a true democratic republic as former President Kim demonstrated through his conviction and resolve," Lee said in a eulogy read by presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik during a memorial at the cemetery.
Lee honored Kim as a "towering peak in the great mountain of Korea's democracy," calling him a "champion of democracy" who ended the long and harsh winter of military dictatorship and ushered in what he described as "the spring of civilian rule."