He won the 15th presidential election in December of 1997 after leading the unification of candidates with Kim Jong-pil, president of the Liberal Democratic Party, in October of that year. It was the fourth time since the 1971 presidential election. This marked the first peaceful transition of power between the ruling and opposition parties in the history of Korean politics and led to the inauguration of the 15th president in February 1998.

In inter-Korean affairs, he was the first and only winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000 in recognition of his contribution to peace and reconciliation with North Korea by agreeing to the June 15 Joint Declaration. Kim Dae-jung gave his last media interview as president on February 24, 2003. He remained active after retiring and gave many lectures about peace on the Korean Peninsula, in Northeast Asia, various plans for world peace. However, he died of pneumonia on August 18, 2009.

L.L.F reporter Na-gyeong Kim