It really shouldn’t be a surprise that Amnesty International has a glowing tribute to former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung:

President Kim Dae-Jung with Amnesty International Secretary General Pierre Sané after signing the UDHR pledge, September 1998

Former South Korea President Kim Dae-jung died on Tuesday, aged 85. A winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts at reconciliation with North Korea, he leaves a legacy of commitment to human rights and democracy.

A former prisoner of conscience, Kim Dae-jung was a lifelong activist who sought to raise the profile of human rights both in South Korea and around the world. Once a death row inmate, he was a tireless campaigner against the death penalty.

“Kim Dae-jung was a hero and inspiration to Amnesty International and many people around the world for his uncompromising stance and struggle for democracy in South Korea during the seventies and eighties,” said Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Irene Khan.

“Amnesty International is privileged to have campaigned on his behalf, as prisoner of conscience, during his years of imprisonment and when he was given the death sentence.”  [Amnesty.org]

Read the rest, but no where in the article does Amnesty International mention anything about the $500 million bribe Kim Dae-jung used to secure his Nobel Peace Prize or the fact he did nothing to promote the human rights of people within North Korea when he was President.  Not that Amnesty International cares about human rights in North Korea themselves.

As I have said before Kim Dae-jung’s legacy is without a doubt a mixed bag, but he is still nevertheless one of the most important political figures in Korean history because of his efforts to establish democracy in Korea.  However, we shouldn’t forget his warts either.