Memories Of South Korean President Kim Young-Sam's Campaign Fund Scandal

Kim Ypung-sam at the beginning of his tenure as President of South Korea in 1993. (The Washington Post/Yonhap/EPA)

JAKARTA - Kim Young-sam is a big figure on the South Korean (South Korea) political stage. Young-Sam dares to oppose the dictatorial regime in South Korea. He wants South Korea to uphold democracy. This courage made the whole South Korean population call him the Democracy Guard.

Young-sam was also trusted to be the President of South Korea in the 1993-1998 era. His leadership was praised. However, it didn't last long. Everything changed when his son was caught accepting bribes in the form of campaign funds for the 1992 presidential election. His career was completely destroyed.

Living in a dictatorial regime is never easy. That's how the opposition figure Young-sam felt from 1955. The height of throwing criticism is second to none. From the era of the dictator General Park Chung-hae to General Chun Doo-hwan.

The space for the graduates of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Seoul is limited by the government as a consequence. However, Young-sam did not give up. He continued to perpetuate his protests. Even though the threat of imprisonment overshadowed him.

Young-sam's action made the public and students of pro-democracy move. They perpetuated a massive action in 1980. The action is widely remembered as the Gwangju Democracy Movement. This action made the power owner like a beard fire.

The only option the government takes to quell the mass action is to fight back. The South Korean military plunged to reduce democracy by firing. Hundreds of people died and others were injured.

The incident made the solidarity of the people of South Korea high. They work hand in hand to help save the demonstrators. The power of power seems innocent. The South Korean government understands one narrative: the state must be strong and the people must be weak.

This condition made Young-sam hunted to be arrested. He was placed under house arrest. The South Korean government asked him to leave the world of politics immediately. Young-sam considered that wish to be just a wind. Instead, he continued to fight the repressive regime. He doesn't care about his status as a house arrest.

He fought back with a hunger strike For 23 days Kim Young-sam only drank salted water, and almost his soul flew away. A number of opposition party figures also at that time supported Young-sam's action by doing the same thing. Kim Yong-sam's demands are clear: the re-establishment of democracy, guaranteed freedom of the press, the release of political prisoners.

At that time, the news of Young-Sam's hunger strike itself was not reported in South Korea: it was prohibited by the government. It seems that Chun Doo-hwan is worried. About 250 of the 500 political prisoners were released, including Kim Yong-sam who was no longer subject to house arrest. Even then a number of political prisoners were given the right to enter politics again, except for Kim Young-sam," said Seici Okawa and Didi Prambadi in his writing in Tempo Magazine entitled The Democracy Guard (1992).

Gelora Perlawan Kim Young-sam mampu memantik semangat rakyat Korsel bergerak melawan pemerintah repressif. Young-sam sendiri mengklaim bahwa 95 persen rakyat Korsel mendukung sistem demokrasi.

This condition made demonstrations continue. At its peak, the South Korean government received world attention. The power of attorney was asked not to perpetuate military action. Finally, the South Korean government was forced to impose elections openly in 1987 and 1992.

Kim Young-sam also tried to participate in the political contestation. He chose the Liberal Democrat Party (now: the New Korean Party) as his political vehicle. The pinnacle of being loved by scholars arrived. All South Korean people chose him as President in the 1992 election.

Young-sam became president-elect in the 1993-1998 era. Young-sam's election was greeted with great fanfare. He was able to put South Korea on the path he and the people of South Korea have been fighting for so far: democracy.

He received support from the people of South Korea for that. However, Young-Sam's image was immediately destroyed in the following years. The root problem is not because of Young-Sam's actions or behavior directly.

The unfortunate matter was perpetuated by Young-sam's second son, Kim Hyun-Chul. His son is alleged to have received bribes as a campaign fund for his father in the 1992 presidential election. A total of 120 thousand US dollars was given so that his elected father would later carry out a pro-conduct policy.

Far from being burned. The promise was not kept. Young-sam got the sap. The dispute in the form of campaign funds is sticking out everywhere. Young-sam's image fell at the lowest level. All because one of the strikers opened his voice. Because of the strike, Young-sam fell from the seat of President of South Korea.

Various cases related to campaign funding also occurred in South Korea. President Kim Young-sam was rocked by accusations that his son had received a bribe of 120 thousand US dollars as a presidential election campaign fund in 1992.

The scandal surfaced after a drug concoction expert, Chung Jae-jung, told reporters that his friends had given the collusion money to Kim's second son, Kim Hyun-chul, with what promise Chung and his friends wanted to be granted and reflected in his father's future policy. Because the promise that was made was not realized, the secret was finally revealed, "explained M. Arief Amrullah in the book Corruption Crime Development (2018).