born Jan. 6, 1924, Hayi-do, Korea
South Korean politician and the first opposition leader to become president.
He first entered politics in 1954, opposing the policies of Syngman Rhee , but did not win a seat in government until 1961. After being arrested several times in the 1970s, Kim was sentenced to death on charges of sedition and conspiracy; that sentence was commuted to 20 years in prison. In 1985, after a brief exile in the U.S., he resumed his role as a leader of the political opposition. In 1997 he was elected president of South Korea, serving from 1998 to 2003. In 2000 he received the Nobel Prize for Peace.