President Kim met with wife of slain Swedish prime minister

President Kim Dae-Jung met with the wife of the late Swedish prime minister Olaf Palme during his visit to Sweden, thanking her for her unceasing during his troubled years as an opposition politician.

During Palme's terms of office, from 1969 to 1976 and 1982 to 1986, the late prime minister expressed extraordinary concern about Kim's plight, particularly when he was abducted to Tokyo. Palme visited the Japanese capital at that time and voiced his concern for Kim's safety and for democracy in Korea.

The former premier led a life-saving campaign in the 1980s, when Kim was sentenced to death by the then military government and he sent medicine while Kim was imprisoned.

President Kim met the late prime minister for the first time at Harvard in 1984 and after his assassination, Kim regularly exchanged correspondence with his widow.

Sweden's first lady came to Seoul in 1994 to congratulate him on founding the Asia-Pacific Foundation. She also wrote the introductory remarks to the Swedish-language version of his in-prison letters.

During his meeting with Palme's widow, Kim recalled his past meetings with the late prime minister and expressed his gratitude for the former head of state's efforts to save his life.

Choi Young-Mook ymook@donga.com