37 Years Ago President-Elect Biden Told DJ, "Contact Me Anytime If You Need Help"

Yonsei University Kim Dae-jung Library
Kim Dae-jung-Biden, Exchanged Letters Revealed
In the Context of 1980s Korean Democratization Movement Solidarity

Letter sent by President-elect Biden on September 30, 1983. Courtesy of Kim Dae-jung Library, Yonsei University

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] A letter written 37 years ago by U.S. President-elect Joe Biden to former President Kim Dae-jung has been revealed.

According to materials disclosed on the 9th by Yonsei University Kim Dae-jung Library, Biden, then President-elect, wrote in a letter dated September 30, 1983, to former President Kim, "Thank you for your efforts (for Korean democratization). Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need my help."

On this day, the Kim Dae-jung Library publicly revealed for the first time two letters exchanged between former President Kim and Biden in the 1980s: a letter sent by Biden (then a senator) to former President Kim on September 30, 1983, and a letter sent by former President Kim to Biden on February 27, 1984.

During his exile in the United States from 1982 to 1985, former President Kim continuously sent letters to key American figures. He enclosed his speeches and articles on Korean democratization and U.S. foreign policy, requesting solidarity. The letter sent by Biden was a reply to a letter he had previously received from former President Kim.

At the time, Biden, a Democratic senator, stated, "The information you sent will be useful," and "I will carefully review the issues you are handling." Biden was one of the lawmakers who actively supported and cooperated with former President Kim's efforts for Korean democratization. From then on, Biden and former President Kim built a close relationship.

In a letter individually sent to Biden in the following year, 1984, former President Kim criticized the February 25, 1984, lifting of restrictions on 202 political figures of the Chun Doo-hwan regime as a deceptive measure. He also proposed a meeting to discuss "urgent issues."

The Kim Dae-jung Library explained, "This material is significant as it is the first disclosure of documents related to the early to mid-1980s period when the relationship between former President Kim and Biden began." It added, "Although former President Kim has passed away, since Biden, who had a long and close relationship with him, has been elected U.S. president, referring to this fact will be necessary in establishing future diplomatic strategies toward the U.S. for the realization of Korea's national interests."

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