Kim Dae-jung dies at 85; Former South Korea president dies

Former President Kim Dae-jung, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for seeking reconciliation with communist North Korea, has died. He was 85.

Kim, was suffering from pneumonia since last month. He died shortly after 1:40 p.m. (0440 GMT) on Tuesday, Kim Dae-jung suffered respiratory distress, a pulmonary embolism and multiple organ failure.

Kim Dae-jung wife, three sons and former aides were at his side during his death. Numerous leaders in South Korea have sent their condolences and sympathies to the family of Kim Dae-jung.

South Korean leaders, from friends to former foes, had been paying their respects for days at the hospital to a man whose epic career spanned South Korea's evolution from a brutal military dictatorship to a full-fledged democracy and global economic leader.

"We lost a great political leader," President Lee Myung-bak said in a statement. "His accomplishments and aspirations to achieve democratization and inter-Korean reconciliation will long be remembered by the people."