Kim Geun-tae

Kim Geun-tae (14 February 1947 – 30 December 2011) was a South Korean democracy activist and politician. He was born in Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do. He studied in Gyeonggi High School and entered Seoul National University and majored economics. In his college time, he began his democracy activist career against the Yushin Regime of President Park Chung Hee. He was arrested several times and served several years in prison.

Although Park was assassinated in 1979, the military dictatorship was succeeded by General Chun Doo Hwan in 1980. After serving full sentence, he was released. But he began to struggle against Chun's regime and founded the democracy activist group, Democratic Youth Coalation (민청련, 民靑聯) in 1983. 1985, he was arrested for profiting North Korea (which was a frequent frame-up to the democracy movement by the military government) and tortured severely for 23 days by Lee Guen An,who was an inspector of the national police.

He remembered the detail of torture and the identity of torturer, and revealed it during his trial. The government denied it at that time, but it turned out true after the military regime surrendered to the democracy movement. And Lee Geun An, who tortured Kim was wanted by the reversed political situation.

Kim was regarded as one of the most important activists in the democracy movement of South Korea and he went to politics by the recommendation of Kim Dae Jung, 1995. After Kim Dae Jung was elected the president of South Korea in 1997, he was one of candidates who could succeed Kim's presidency in the ruling party. Because of low rating, he gave up the race for presidency halfway, and supported Roh Moo Hyun, who won the presidency election in 2002. During Roh's presidency, he was a former leader of the ruling Uri Party , and he served as Health and Welfare Minister from 2004 to 2006. He was also member of Parliament of South Korea from 1996 until 2008.

Although his political career seemed to go well, he suffered from severe PTSD. Because of this, he refused to go to doctor or dentist, which reminded him of being tortured. Since 2006, he suffered from Pakinson's Disease, which was estimated due to the torture.

His condition got worse after 2010 to the extent that he could not attend his daughter's wedding ceremony. He collapsed from complication (brain blood thrombus) in November 2011. Kim died on 30 December 2011. He was 64.^[1][2] He was buried in Moran Cemetery, Seongnam, where several notable democracy activists were buried. In 1987, he shared the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award with his wife In Jae-keun.^[2]

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