Kim Young-Sam

Kim Young-Sam , born the December 20th 1927, is a South Korean politician. He was president of the South Korea February 25th 1993 with the February 25th 1998.

Former opponent, he becomes the first civil president after the elections of December 1992 and the resignation of the general Roh Tae-woo, who had supported the election of Kim Young-Sam.

He launches a wave of reforms anti-corruption and sets up economic vast reforms aiming softening the national regulations, supporting the overseas investments and at promoting competition. Several events announce the modernization of South Korea: the World Fair is organized with Taejon in 1993; September 14th, 1993, the visit of the president François Mitterrand leads to an agreement, in April 1994, under the terms of which South Korea buys the technology of the French TGV to build the line Seoul - Pusan.

The presidency of Kim Young-Sam is however marked by scandals and catastrophes, and by a questioning of its form of government which entirely did not break with the preserving forces, in spite of a reform of the army:

in June 1995, the collapse of large the magazin Sampoong causes five hundred dead;
the bankruptcy of the conglomerate Hanbo Steel, in which the son of Kim Young-Sam is implied, is a precursory sign of the South Korean financial crisis of 1997;
the restriction of trade-union freedoms, resulting from the law of December 26th, 1996, involves big demonstrations, whereas the lawsuit for corruption of the two generals who were the predecessors of Kim, Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, is perceived like an operation of diversion.

Reference

Andre Fabre, " History of Corée" , Languages Worlds/Asiathèque, 2000, pp. 344-346.

Simple: Kim Young-Sam

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