Former President Rushed to Hospital; Could Impact Wiretapping Case

Former president Kim Dae-jung was suddenly rushed to hospital at 5:00 p.m. on August 10.

Recently, as the National Intelligence Service has made the eavesdropping case during the Kim Dae-jung administration public, the conflict between the ruling party and the former president has been growing. Under circumstances like this, it is highly likely that the former president’s hospitalization would seriously affect the political situation regarding the eavesdropping case in the future.

Choi Kyung-hwan, a secretary to Kim, said in a press release that Kim’s condition was not good in recent days, and that he had a slight fever, too. “His attending physician recommended an additional medical check up due to the possibility of inflammation. The former president was hospitalized at the Sinchon Severance Hospital today,” added Choi.

Due to his hospitalization, a mass scheduled for August 13 to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of his return from being kidnapped in Tokyo was cancelled. The former president had visited a hospital as an outpatient for kidney dialysis. The former president is eighty years old.

After the wiretapping of the Kim Dae-jung administration was made public, President Roh Moo-hyun said in a press meeting on August 8 that it was insulting to raise political suspicions. Then Choi responded that the former president Kim Dae-jung was highly displeased, and that it was Kim’s administration that was insulted.

Yeon-Wook Jung jyw11@donga.com