Former President Kim Dae-jung left for a ten-day European tour Monday - his first overseas trip since stepping down from office in February 2003.

During his trip, the ex-president is scheduled to visit France, Norway and Switzerland.

In Paris, Kim is scheduled to address an annual forum of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on Wednesday and then fly to Oslo where he will deliver a speech on issues related to North Korea.

Kim then will head to Geneva, his last stop, and deliver a speech on human rights and other global issues at the opening ceremony of the World Health Organization's annual conference, scheduled for next Tuesday.