Kim Young-sam

South Korea's first civilian president in three decades took office in 1993 amid deep suspicion of the military-era elite. He introduced the real-name financial system that ended anonymous bank accounts used for slush funds, required senior officials to disclose their assets, purged the army's secret Hanahoe faction and allowed prosecution of two former presidents. These were concrete repairs to accountability. His own son was later jailed for corruption, and the 1997 financial crisis ended his term in disgrace.