Who was Kim, Dae-Jung?

To many (most) of you the name Kim Dae-Jung will mean nothing. This is perfectly normal but I wanted to write a post about him because he is important and he sadly died this week. I know for many South Koreans, he is one of the most important people in their modern history and thus his story should be told worldwide.
Kim Dae-Jung was South Korean president from 1998 to 2003 and won the Nobel peace prize in 2000. However, these two feats are perhaps not what he will be remembered for. His story could read like a Hollywood movie script. He came from a farming family in the South of South Korea when it was under Japanese rule. He became very rich from owning a Japanese shipping company but had to flee the country during the Korean war. It was when he entered politics though that he's story really tells of how Korea has developed. He was the main opposition to the dictator Park Chung-Hee (who I've mention previously) and later Chun Doo-Hwan. He was close to being assassinated but was saved by Japanese and US officials. He was imprisoned twice for being 'anti-government' and for his perceived role in the Gwangju Massacre (if you get a chance watch May 18 (Hwaryeohan hyuga)).
After a short exile in the US, where he taught at Harvard, he returned to Korea and fought for election in the first democratic elections in 1987 and then again in 1992. After a brief time at Cambridge University he returned to Korea to fight yet another election (his 4th) and finally won, becoming the first president where power had transferred across parties. He helped steer Korea through the Asian financial crisis (in the short-term) and perhaps most famously met with Kim Jong Il and created the Sunshine Policy. The first such meeting of the two countries leaders since the Korean War.
He had his critics like every leader in history. He was very lucky to win the election (2 conservative candidates split their vote), some say he used affirmative action to get more people from the Jeolla region into parliament. The Sunshine Policy although good in theory, I personally don't think will actually ever work.
I believe he is a strange character in history. What he will be remembered for internationally will be his presidency and legacy, I personally don't think he was the greatest of presidents (his term came at the wrong time for the type of president he was) but I think his most important contribution to Korea was his opposition to Park Chung-Hee and fight for democracy. I have said in the past that Park's dictatorship was perhaps a necessary evil in the development of South Korea but Kim was a necessary shining light to show the people of South Korea that there was a cause to fight for, his light is perhaps what stopped successive dictatorships and pushed Korea into the next stage of development; which of cause is democracy.
I hope he is remember in a positive manner and that people appreciate what he has done for his country.