Washington - US President Barack Obama expressed his condolences to the South Korean people over the death of former president Kim Dae Jung, praising him as a "a courageous champion of democracy and human rights."

"His service to his country, his tireless efforts to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula, and his personal sacrifices on behalf of freedom are inspirational and should never be forgotten," Obama said in a statement released Tuesday.

Kim, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, died at the age of 83 of heart failure after battling pneumonia, Seoul's Severance Hospital said.

Kim served as president from 1998 to 2003 and sought to improve relations with North Korea as part of the "Sunshine Policy." In 2000, he participated in the first North- South summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.(dpa)