Barbara Boxer: “I would like to congratulate Kim Dae-jung, the President of South Korea, on receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for 2000.…”

“I would like to congratulate Kim Dae-jung, the President of South Korea, on receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for 2000. This award is well-earned for a great leader whom many call the ``Nelson Mandela of Asia.'' President Kim's life-long dedication to peace and reconciliation is evident in the fact that he had been nominated for this award on 14 different occasions. Last Friday's announcement made President Kim his nation's first Nobel laureate, a source of great pride for the people of South Korea. Kim Dae-jung has led an extraordinary life, highlighted by an unwavering commitment to democracy. In fact, throughout his career, President Kim has been willing to risk his own life in standing up for the principles that allow South Korea to be the great nation it is today. President Kim has indeed paid a heavy price for speaking out against totalitarian rule. Shortly after his first run for President in 1971, Kim was nearly killed in a car accident that many believed to be an assassination attempt. Two years later, he was kidnapped by South Korean agents, ostensibly because he was perceived as a threat to the status quo. He would have been killed, had the United States not intervened. In the years that followed, President Kim survived jailings, house arrest, exile and numerous beatings.”