Late President Kim Young－sam， without doubt， leaves behind a political legacy...
he was an important figure in South Korea′s pro－democracy movement and a peaceful power
transfer to civilian rule in a country that had been marked by military coups.
Who was Kim Young－sam and how has he changed Korea′s modern politics？
Joining us live via Skype is Dr. Robert E. Kelly， professor of political science at
Pusan National University. Bob， good to see you again.
What kind of a political legacy does Kim Young－sam leave behind？ How has he changed or shaped
Korean politics？ Many say this is the end of the ″Two Kim
era″ － two Kims being late president Kim Dae－jung whose presidency immediately followed
that of Kim Young－sam AND a life－long political rival.
Both key players in founding a democratic Korea that is today， there are many comparisons
between the two. Some say Kim Young－sam was not as charismatic
or visionary as his successor Kim Dae－jung， nor was he the best of crisis managers as
his bumbled handling of the economic crisis in 1997 showed. Rather，
he was an incrementalist who used his political skill to advance the important goal of democratizing
Korean society. Do you agree with that？ How will Korea， how will the rest of the
world remember one － the pro－democracy activist， the politician Kim Young－sam
and two － Kim Young－sam， the 14th president of
the
Republic of Korea？
Robert E. Kelly， professor of political science at Pusan National University thank
you very much indeed for joining us tonight.