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In stirring ceremonies today at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Liberty Medal was presented to Kim Dae-jung, the President of The Republic of Korea.
President Kim Dae-jung
photo by John Fischer
Established in 1988 to heighten recognition of the principles that founded this nation and to serve as a lasting legacy to the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution, the Philadelphia Liberty Medal is presented annually, along with a $100,000 award each July 4.
The medal honors "an individual or organization from anywhere in the world that has demonstrated leadership and vision in the pursuit of liberty of conscience or freedom from oppression, ignorance or deprivation". The award is administered by Greater Philadelphia First, the regional business and civic leadership group.
Past recipients include Lech Walesa, Jimmy Carter, Nelson Mandela, Vaclav Havel, King Hussein I and Shimon Peres.
President Kim Dae-jung joins this distinguished list of past recipients. Kim Dae-jung was honored for his life-long devotion to human liberties and progress toward a more open economy in Asia. He has survived imprisonment, a death sentence, and assassination attempts in his efforts to secure democracy and human rights in the Republic of Korea.
Mayor Rendell, Mrs Rendell, President Kim and Mrs. Kim
photo by John Fischer
During the Korean War, Kim Dae-jung was arrested by North Korean forces and charged as a capitalists. He narrowly escaped execution. Following the war he continued to speak out on behalf of freedom and human rights though years of hostile military governments.
During Korea's martial law period from 1972 to 1979, Kim Dae-jung fought government oppression in South Korea. In 1973 while in Japan, he was kidnapped and almost drowned at sea by Korean agents seeking to silence him. In the 1980's he faced a death sentence until the governments of the United States and Korea came to his assistance. He is often described as "Asia's Mandela," - suffering oppression and hardship for over 40 years but always continuing to speak out for democracy.
For additional information:
Full
text of President Kim Dae-jung's speech
Report on President Kim's
speech from the Korean Times
Report on
President Kim's speech from the Korean Herald
Chong Wa Dae - Office of the President
of the Republic of Korea
Map
and Basic Information on the Republic of Korea
Kim Dae-Jung's Long, Perilous Road to
the Top
Korean Nationalism Home Page