Former South Korean Prime Minister passes away

Former South Korean Prime Minister passes away

Former two-time South Korean Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil died at the age of 92 on Saturday morning.

Kim reportedly died due to age-related illnesses. An aide said that the former president died at around 8:15 am (local time), Yonhap News Agency reported.

He was taken to Soonchunhyang University Hospital in Seoul from his residence in Shindang-dong locality, where he was declared dead on arrival, hospital officials said.

Born in 1926, Kim graduated from the Korea Military Academy, and had played an important role in a military coup in 1961.

Kim served as the South Korean Prime Minister twice – from 1971 to 1975 and again from 1998 to 2000.

Considered as one of the most influential politicians in South Korea between the 1980s and 1990s, Kim served nine terms as a lawmaker.

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He was one of the “three Kims” in South Korean politics, along with former presidents Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung.

Prior to being the prime minister, Kim served as the first founder-chief of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) from 1961 to 1963. He also served five terms as a member of the National Assembly.

In 2004, he left active politics after unsuccessfully contesting for a National Assembly seat.