Former S Korean President Kim on respirator, not in danger

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-07-16 22:36

Former South Korean president and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kim Dae-jung speaks during an interview with Reuters at his house in Seoul June 23, 2009. Kim is in critical condition at a Seoul hospital, media said on Thursday. [Xinhua]

SEOUL: Ailing former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, a Nobel laureate, has been put on a respirator because of complications from pneumonia but is not in "immediate danger," hospital officials said Thursday.

The 85-year-old ex-dissident served as president from 1998 to 2003 and had a "Sunshine Policy" of encouraging reconciliation with the Democratic People's REpublic of Korea (DPRK), which culminated in a historic summit with the DPRK leader Kim Jong-il in 2000.

Kim was admitted to Seoul's Severance Hospital on Monday with a fever and signs of a cold. He was transferred to intensive care with pneumonia two days later.

He was placed on a ventilator Thursday to help him breathe but is conscious and in stable condition, Severance Hospital chief Park Chang-il told reporters. He said Kim's blood pressure, temperature and pulse were normal.

"Though there is no immediate danger to his life, we will monitor (his conditions) as we continue treatment," Park said.

The 2000 summit led to a number of promising cross-border reconciliation projects, including the reunions of families separated for five decades and tours to the DPRK's landmarks long forbidden to South Koreans.

Kim was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000 for his efforts to reconcile with the DPRK.

Kim's illness comes amid speculation about the health of his DPRK summit counterpart. Kim Jong-il had promised during the summit in Pyongyang to pay a return trip to Seoul, but hasn't yet done so.

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