Nobel winner Kim: My work continues

By CNN's Joe Manguno

OSLO, Norway (CNN) -- When the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to South Korean President Kim Dae-jung on Sunday, a moment he spent more than a decade longing for, he said honour would always come to those who dedicated themselves to helping others.

"In all ages and in all places," said Kim, "he who lives a righteous life dedicated to his people and humanity may not be victorious ... may meet a gruesome end in his lifetime, but will be triumphant and honoured in history; he who wins by injustice may dominate the present day, but history will always judge him to be a shameful loser."

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Kim, triumphant and honoured by the Norwegian Nobel Committee after a life of struggle for human rights, democracy and reconciliation with North Korea, secured his place in history with this most prestigious of international awards.

It was the last of three great triumphs for him, coming after his 1997 election as president of South Korea and his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il last June.

But with the strains of the Korean anthem, Arirang, still echoing through the Oslo Town Hall, Kim declared his work not finished yet.

Under the historical paintings of some of Norway's great modern artists, the 75-year-old pledged to devote the rest of his life to human rights, world peace and strengthening the foundations that the Pyongyang summit laid for an eventual reunification of the Korean Peninsula.

Gunnar Berge, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said as he presented the award, that Kim was receiving the prize "for his lifelong work for democracy in South Korea and East Asia in general, and for peace and reconciliation with North Korea in particular."

Berge said some had questioned whether it was too early to award the prize for a process of inter-Korean reconciliation that has just begun. But he said the committee "adheres to the principle: nothing ventured, nothing gained."

He said this year's prize was a reward for the steps Kim has taken so far.

"Kim Dae-jung has had the will to break with 50 years of ingrained hostility" between North and South Korea. Berge added that the prize was intended "as an encouragement to advance still further along the road to peace and reconciliation."

In his Nobel lecture and in an exclusive interview with CNN International's Jonathan Mann afterwards, Kim acknowledged that completing the work he has begun, especially with North Korea, will probably be left to his successors.

"I do not think I can achieve everything by myself," he said. "Firming the foundation is my work. Finishing it is the work of future Korean governments."

Speaking specifically about North-South reunification, Kim said he did not believe it should be rushed, but "can wait until such a time when both sides feel comfortable enough in becoming one again, no matter how long it takes."

However, progress is possible on several issues that would further reduce tensions on the Korean peninsula, including reunions of the tens of thousands of families separated since the 1950-53 Korean War, improvement of Pyongyang's relations with the U.S. and Japan, and the cessation of Pyongyang's anti-ballistic missile program, long sought by Washington and Tokyo, Kim said.

Referring to reports that U.S. President Bill Clinton may visit Pyongyang before his term ends next month, Kim said he believes that would be another breakthrough in Washington's bid to constrain the North's military threat.

"If President Clinton goes to North Korea," he told CNNI, "then I expect the missile issue to be fully resolved."

Speaking about his belief and commitment to democracy, Kim called it "the absolute value that makes for human dignity, as well as the only road to sustained economic development and social justice."

"In Asia, long before the west, the respect for human dignity was written into systems of thought, and intellectual traditions upholding the concept of 'demos' took root," said Kim.

"Asia was rich in the intellectual and institutional traditions that would provide fertile ground for democracy."

He cited the cases of Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and his own country as proof that democracy can flourish in Asia.

Nobel Prize winners receive awards
December 10, 2000
Kim Dae-jung says Nobel Prize for his people
December 10, 2000

Nobel e-Museum
President of South Korea

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