Tuesday, August 18, 2009

* Former South Korean president Kim Dae-Jung dies

Seoul, Aug 18 (AFP) Kim Dae-Jung, who spearheaded South Korea's struggle for democracy and went on to win the presidency and the Nobel peace prize, died today aged 83, a hospital spokesman said.

"He was declared dead at 1:43 pm (local time)," a spokesman for Seoul's Severance Hospital told AFP.

"His heart began failing at 1:35 pm and stopped minutes later despite our efforts to revive it."

Kim, who was president from 1998-2003, was admitted to hospital on July 13 with pneumonia and other symptoms.

He held South Korea's first-ever summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il in 2000 and was awarded the Nobel prize later that year for his efforts.

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