President Park Geun-hye expressed deep condolences over the death of former President Kim Young-sam, a presidential official said Sunday.
 

"My heart goes out to the bereaved family members, and I pray for the soul of the deceased," presidential spokesman Jeong Yeon-guk quoted Park as saying. Park was informed of Kim's death earlier in the day immediately after he died at the age of 88 in a hospital in South Korea.
  

Park said the government will prepare for Kim's funeral by taking into account relevant laws and the wishes of the bereaved family members, according to Jeong.
  

As an iconic figure of the pro-democracy movement, Kim ended decades of military rule in South Korea during his presidency from 1993 to 1998.
  

Park is in Kuala Lumpur for talks with more than a dozen leaders on regional and global challenges.
 

Kuala Lumpur is the third and last stop on her 10-day tour, which already took her to Turkey and the Philippines for the G-20 summit and the APEC summit, respectively. (Yonhap)