DJ KIM SHOULD PASS A MEMO TO ROH

If DJ truly feels grief over Reagan's death and acknowledges what the U.S. has done for him and South Korea, he should talk with President Roh about appreciating the relationship it has with the U.S. and how this was essential for South Korea's success in the 20th century.

Former S. Korean President Credits Reagan

The Associated Press
June 10, 2004

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung sent condolences Thursday over Ronald Reagan's death and thanked Reagan for persuading the country's former military regime to spare his life.

In a telegram to former First Lady Nancy Reagan, Kim, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said he "was gripped with grief" over Reagan's death.

"President Reagan was a strong and courageous leader. He tore down the long-standing walls of confrontation between the East and the West and led the world to historic change toward democracy and freedom," the telegram said.

"In particular, when I was sentenced to death by the military regime in 1980, he worked not only to save my life but also for the democratization of South Korea," said the 79-year-old South Korean leader. "I still remember this with gratitude."

As an opposition leader championing democracy, Kim survived imprisonment, house arrest and four alleged assassination attempts during South Korea's era of military rule.

In 1980, the then military junta sentenced him to death on treason charges but reprieved him under U.S. pressure.

Kim was elected president in 1997 and ruled South Korea for five years until February 2003.

In 2000, he held an unprecedented summit with North Korea. He won that year's Nobel Peace Prize for opening the doors to detente with the isolated communist state, as well as for his struggle for democracy.