SEOUL — Son Myung-soon, the widow of South Korea's 14th president, Kim Young-sam, died at age 95 on Thursday, as confirmed by medical sources. Son passed away due to a chronic ailment while receiving treatment at Seoul National University Hospital.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Married to Kim in 1951, Son supported her husband throughout his tenure as a prominent opposition figure and during his presidency from 1993 to 1998, a period marking the end of military rule in South Korea. Kim Young-sam is celebrated for his role in the country's pro-democracy movement and for navigating South Korea through the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis with the help of a substantial international bailout. President Yoon Suk Yeol extended his condolences, recognizing Son as a significant political ally of the former president. The late president and first lady's legacy is carried on by their five children.