Former president Kim recovering from pneumonia, hospital says

SEOUL, July 19 (Yonhap) -- Former South Korean president Kim Dae-jung is
gradually recovering from complications that arose after he contracted pneumonia,
with doctors soon expected to remove his artificial respirator, a Seoul hospital
said Sunday.
The 85-year-old Nobel laureate, who served as the country's leader from
1998-2003, has remained in an intensive care unit at Severance Hospital in
western Seoul for nearly a week after being diagnosed with pneumonia.
Kim was at one point in critical condition last week due to irregular breathing
before being placed on a respirator on Thursday.
"Kim is now in stable condition," a hospital official said, citing normal blood
pressure readings and other medical indicators.
Kim has been slowly led back to breathing on his own to reduce dependence on a
respirator, the official noted, saying, "He may be taken off the respirator soon,
although we have to monitor the situation."
In 2005, Kim was admitted to hospital after showing symptoms of a cold and fever.
He met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il in 2000 for the first-ever
inter-Korean summit for which he was awarded the Nobel peace prize later that
year in recognition of his efforts to promote reconciliation.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)