Kim Dae-Jung: References & Edit History

Assorted References

• Democratic Party of Korea
  • In Democratic Party of Korea
• history of South Korea
  • In South Korea: The Third Republic
  • In South Korea: The Sixth Republic
• North Korea visit
  • In North Korea: Relations with the South
• participation in Gwangju Uprising
  • In Gwangju Uprising
• Roh Moo-Hyun
  • In Roh Moo-Hyun

The date of Kim Dae-Jung’s birth has been inconsistently reported. It has been identified in various sources—including Korean encyclopaedias, official records, and databases—as December 3, 1923; January 4, 1924; January 6, 1924; and December 3, 1925, among other dates. However, the Kim Dae-Jung Presidential Library and Museum recognizes January 8, 1924, as his date of birth, which is what Britannica uses. The library has provided an explanation of these discrepancies.

In his autobiography, Conscience in Action (published in English in 2019), Kim states,

I was born in Hugwang-ri, Haui-myeon, Muan-gun (now known as Sinan-gun), Jeollanam-do, on January 6, 1924. I suspect that Mother was particularly attached to me because mine was a very difficult birth.

Japan had annexed Korea about two decades prior to Kim’s birth, and it retained control there through World War II. In his autobiography, Kim explains what he faced after he graduated from high school in late 1943:

Around that time, Japan was conscripting more and more young men—including many Korean men—to send to the front lines. Like so many Korean parents who would do anything to free their sons from conscription, my father officially changed my birth date to December 3, 1925. While most people tried to raise their sons’ ages to avoid conscription, my father lowered my age, pushing my conscription period back….

Claims of December 3, 1925, therefore have their origin in the change made by Kim’s father. But, according to Kim’s presidential library, January 6, 1924—which Kim specified in his autobiography as his birthday and celebrated during his life—is also incorrect. According to the library, Kim was born on December 3, 1923, in the lunar calendar that was in use in Korea, but, during his lifetime, that date was incorrectly identified as January 6, 1924, in the Gregorian calendar. “This discrepancy,” the library’s website explains, “was discovered after his passing.” Kim’s Gregorian birth date is instead January 8, 1924.