Kim Hong-up, the second son of the late former President Kim Dae-jung and chair of the Kim Dae-jung Peace Center, died on the 24th from a chronic illness. He was 75.
The deceased supported Korea's pro-democracy movement at his father's side. When former President Kim was imprisoned over the 1976 "March 1st Declaration for Democracy and National Salvation" incident, he and his mother, Lee Hee-ho, mounted a campaign with dissidents to secure his release. During the 1980 "Kim Dae-jung insurrection conspiracy" case, he was placed on a wanted list on suspicion of orchestrating protests from behind the scenes, went into hiding for three months, and was later arrested.
When former President Kim went into exile in the United States, he accompanied him and served as a director of the "Institute for Human Rights in the Americas," taking on the role of publicizing the human rights situation in Korea abroad.
Elected in a 2007 by-election, he served as a member of the 17th National Assembly, and after former President Kim's death, he led the establishment of the "Kim Dae-jung Memorial Association (now Kim Dae-jung Foundation)" as a foundation and served as chair of the Kim Dae-jung Peace Center.
He is survived by his wife, Shin Seon-ryeon, and sons Jong-dae and Jong-min. The wake has been set up in Special Room No. 2 at the funeral hall of Severance Hospital at Yonsei University in Seoul. The funeral will be a family service, overseen by the Kim Dae-jung Peace Center and the Kim Dae-jung Foundation.