Kin Dae-Jung (Nobel)

Kim Dae-jung, a South Korean politician, endured a life filled with trials before ultimately becoming the nations president. He was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his dedication to freedom and human rights in South Korea, and efforts toward reconciliation with North Korea and Japan. During his 2000 Nobel Peace Prize lecture, Kim recounted a harrowing experience during his opposition to South Korean President Park. While staying at a Tokyo hotel, he was kidnapped and taken to a boat where his captors intended to kill him. Kim, a Catholic, described a profound spiritual encounter when he said: "The agents took me to their boat at anchor along the seashore. They tied me up, blinded me, and stuffed my mouth. Just when they were about to throw me overboard, Jesus Christ appeared before me with such clarity. I clung to him and begged him to save me. At that very moment, an airplane was sent down from Heavens by the almighty God Himself to rescue me from the moment of death." While Kim survived this assassination attempt, he was later arrested on charges of sedition and again sentenced to death. Thru the intervention of the Pope and Ronald Reagan, Kim's life was spared leading to his exile to the U.S., where he would teach at Harvard. Upon his eventual return to South Korea he would be rearrested, but eventually released. Years later, Kim made history as South Koreas eighth president, becoming the first democratically elected Korean opposition candidate to peacefully take power from the ruling party. Could this man's extraordinary journey thru life have been dramatically influenced by the role he chose to play in the Christian Story?