Kim Dae-jung, who as a longtime opposition leader survived assassination attempts and a death sentence to become president of South Korea, and whose unflagging efforts to reconcile with communist North Korea earned him the Nobel Peace Prize, died Aug. 18, hospital officials said. He was 85.

Kim, who had been hospitalized with pneumonia since July, died shortly after 1:40 p.m., said Lee Sung-man, a spokesman for Severance Hospital in Seoul.

Kim served as South Korea's president from 1998 to 2003. His "Sunshine Policy" included a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in 2000.