Former president Kim taken off respirator

(ATTN: UPDATES with removal of respirator in paras 1-4; CHANGES headline, slug)
SEOUL, July 19 (Yonhap) -- Former South Korean president Kim Dae-jung was taken
off artificial respiration, as he was gradually recovering from complications
that arose after he contracted pneumonia, 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 has been taken off his respirator," a hospital official said, citing normal
blood pressure readings and other medical indicators.
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
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