Two-time former Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil has died.<br />He was a huge force in South Korean politics in the 1980s and 90s,... and was dubbed the "kingmaker" or the "Eternal No.2."<br />Park Hee-jun reports. Kim Jong-pil, one of South Korea's most influential political figures,... has passed away at the age of 92.<br /> Believed to have succumbed to old age, Kim died at 8:15 AM, Korea time, on Saturday,... while being taken to Soonchunhyang University Hospital in Seoul by ambulance.<br /><br /> The Presidential Office of Cheong Wa Dae expressed its condolences over Kim's death.<br />The top office's senior political affairs secretary is expected to pay his respects at Kim's funeral at the Asan Medical Center in Seoul on Saturday evening.<br /><br /> After graduating from the Korea Military Academy,... Kim Jong-pil played a key role in the 1961 military coup that helped then-General Park Chung-hee rise to power.<br />After Park became president,... Kim founded and headed the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, now the National Intelligence Service,... before serving as South Korea's prime minister from 1971 to 1975.<br /><br /> He served as prime minister again from 1998 to 2000 under former President Kim Dae-jung.<br />Kim Jong-pil is regarded as the man who helped guide Kim Dae-jung to victory in the 1997 presidential election.<br /><br /> "We cannot do this without each other's trust."<br /><br />He's often dubbed the "Eternal No. 2" due to his massive influence and power,... and failure to reach the absolute pinnacle of South Korean politics.<br /><br />Combined, Kim Jong-pil served nine terms as a lawmaker, the longest of any South Korean politician in history.<br /> He was the last of the so-called "Three Kims" who were political heavyweights in the 1980s and 90s-- together with Former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Kim Young-sam .<br />Park Hee-jun, Arirang News. <br />
