TO MUCH OF the world, Kim Dae-jung is something of a hero. Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, survivor of assassination attempts by the country's former military dictators and a renowned champion of democracy, the elderly president of South Korea has earned widespread praise, in particular, for his political wooing of militant North Korea - the 'sunshine policy' which has sharply reduced tensions throughout Northeast Asia.
So foreigners find it somewhat puzzling that Mr Kim is much less honoured at home. Though many South Koreans pay him at least grudging respect for surviving years of harsh persecution and for his subsequent deeds, some also consider him liked but not well liked. If presidential elections were held today, the candidate of his ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) would almost certainly lose, no matter who ran against him.
These restive voters accuse Mr Kim of many political sins. Some contend he bought his peace prize by giving North Korea sweeping concessions in return for too little. Others blame him for economic-reform policies they say either helped cause a slump or failed to prevent one. Many complain this outspoken advocate of democracy has evolved into a dogmatic Confucian who won't take advice - a professed leader of the people whose style is more imperial than populist and who, among other things, persecutes his press critics. A failed health-care reform also hurt. Meanwhile, other Koreans complain he has promoted too many officials from his home region into high office - and tolerated their frequent blatant corruption.
All these claims can be debated, if not always debunked. But it is clear that Mr Kim, after a glorious beginning, has lost popular support, and his political legacy now seems a little tattered. How it will look in the end is impossible to know; a great deal can change before presidential elections in December of next year. (By law, Mr Kim cannot run again.) But on present form, it appears that the next president will come from the opposition Grand National Party, even though the leading GNP candidate is considered an uninspiring caretaker rather than a charismatic leader with fresh ideas.
If nothing else, Mr Kim's political decline proves, according to Scott Snyder, representative for the Asia Foundation in Seoul, that 'Korean politics is complex and can be a nasty game.'
A leading cause of his political trouble is Mr Kim's devotion to the policy that won him so much overseas acclaim - seeking accommodation with North Korea. Many believe he has focused intently on Pyongyang to the detriment of almost everything else, with too little to show for it. The claim may be excessive but it is understandable.