AFP

UNITED NATIONS - UN chief Ban Ki-moon paid tribute to fellow South Korean and former president Kim Dae-jung, who died Tuesday at the age of 85.
"The Secretary General pays tribute to Kim Dae-jung's noble life of dedication to the goals of peace, democracy and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula," a UN statement said.
Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister, hailed Kim as "a great son of the Korean nation and a compassionate champion of human rights and democracy" who "inspired millions with his unswerving commitment to the reunification of Korea through his 'sunshine policy' of engagement between the North and South."

The UN boss said he was "filled with great sorrow and a sense of personal loss at the death of Kim," a tireless democracy campaigner who survived assassination attempts and a death sentence to win South Korea's presidency and the Nobel peace prize.
The former South Korean president had been admitted to hospital on July 13 with pneumonia and related complications.
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