I'm probably not likely to write about South Korea very often, nor am I likely to heap praise upon a State Department official tied to several republican administrations, but when I was reading John Dinges' book, The Condor Years: How Pinochet and His Allies Brought Terrorism to Three Continents, I was struck by this story:
This week, South Korea's President Kim Dae Jung, 78, steps down after a five-year term in office. His departure prompts memories of an untold tale that dramatically encapsulates America's contradictory history in South Korea. In 1973, South Korean intelligence agents kidnapped and nearly murdered Kim, then the country's leading pro-democracy dissident against the U.S.-supported dictator Park Chung Hee. All accounts agree that it was the U.S. response, together with public outrage in Japan, that saved Kim. None, however, has described exactly what the United States did to help rescue Kim. Some mention the role played by the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, but most simply say that Kim was saved by a "last-minute U.S. intervention," implying a concerted effort by officials at the highest levels of government.
Read the article. It's absolutely stunning and I have to salute the late Phillip Habib, especially when you consider the brave initiative he took at a time when the detestable Henry Kissinger was Secretary of State.
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