Kim Young-sam (born December 20, 1927) was the President of South Korea from February 25, 1993 to February 25, 1998. During the 1970s and 1980s, he was a leading opposition politician, along with Kim Dae-jung. When the first democratic presidential election was held in 1987 after ex-general Chun Doo-hwan's retirement, Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung ran against each other, splitting the opposition vote and enabling ex-general Roh Tae-woo - Chun Doo-hwan's hand-picked successor - to win the election. After his and Roh's party merged in 1990 to form a conservative ruling party, Kim Young-sam ran another presidential campaign against Kim Dae-jung in 1992 and won. Although Kim tried to reform the chaebols (large South Korean conglomerates), he is remembered mostly now for the Asian financial crisis, the Korean portion of which began in 1997 (the last year of his tenure) with the collapse of Kia Motors. Hangul (한글) is the native alphabet used to write the Korean language, as opposed to the Hanja system borrowed from China. ... The Revised Romanization of Korean is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. ... McCune-Reischauer is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems, along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which replaced (a modified) McCune-Reischauer as the official romanization system in South Korea in 2000. ... December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1927 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... The President is head of state of South Korea. ... February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1998(MCMXCVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... The 1970s in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1970 and 1979. ... // Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... Kim Dae-jung (born December 3, 1925) is a South Korean politician. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Chun Doo-hwan (born 18 January 1931) was a Korean military officer and the President of South Korea from 1980 to 1988. ... Roh Tae-woo (born December 4, 1942 in Daegu, South Korea), a Korean general and politician. ... For the Temptations album, see 1990 (Temptations album) MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... SEXY JAYO is the Korean word for business conglomerates, and often refers in English to the several dozen large, family-controlled Korean corporate groups which have played a major role in the South Korean economy since the 1960s. ... The Asian financial crisis was a financial crisis that started in July 1997 in Thailand, and affected currencies, stock markets, and other asset prices of several Asian countries, many part of the East Asian Tigers. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the three-letter military term, please see KIA. Kia Motors Company (KSE: 000270) is a South Korean automobile manufacturer. ...

A string of large-scale disasters marred South Korea during Kim's presidency, including the Seongsu Bridge collapse, a sinking of a ship, and a crash of an airliner, Korean Air Flight 801. The Seongsu Bridge is a bridge over the Han River in Seoul, South Korea. ... Korean Air (KSE: 003490) is the largest airline based in Korea. ... Korean Air Flight 801 (KE801, KAL801) crashed on August 6, 1997 on approach to Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport, Guam. ...

See also

• List of Korea-related topics
• History of South Korea