A president remembered

 

 

"Do you have a cigarette?" That was the question former President Roh Moo-hyun asked his security escort at around 6:40 a.m. on May 23. When the bodyguard replied he did not but offered to get some cigarettes, Roh responded, "You don't need to."

 

These were the last known words uttered by Roh before he plunged to his death off a cliff behind his residence in Bongha village.

 

His abrupt passing shocked and saddened people across all spectrums of society. From average citizens to former Korean presidents, Roh's apparent suicide left behind a nation in mourning. Questions also remain as to how someone who fought so hard in life to overcome hardships could end his life so suddenly.

 

Roh Moo-hyun's life was indeed a constant uphill struggle up until his untimely death. From his impoverished youth to the last days of his life as a former president battling against corruption charges, Roh led a life that even his detractors would admit was based on a drive and passion that made him a formidable opponent.

 

It was not a life without controversy. Roh had his fair share of critics throughout his rise to the nation's top office. His death will likewise always be shrouded in controversy.

 

But above all, Roh will be remembered as a tragic figure. His opponents will remember a man with a sharp tongue who was quick to make rash and sometimes irrational political decisions. His supporters on the other hand, will remember a man who always fought for the downtrodden, tried to reconcile the nation's entrenched regional strife and tried to reform the country through his vision of a progressive society.

 

Rise from humble roots

 

Roh Moo-hyun was born on Aug. 6, 1946 in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province. His parents were farmers and it is well-known Roh did not have the financial wherewithal for a higher education. Nevertheless he excelled in school and graduated from a vocational high school.

 

His childhood hero was U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. And like his idol, Roh duplicated Lincoln's feat of becoming a lawyer despite never having attended university. Passing the notoriously difficult Korean bar exam in 1975, Roh set forth on his legal career by landing a judgeship in Daejeon.

 

He grew quickly tired of the judiciary and left in 1978 to start a lucrative practice as Busan-based tax attorney. A career as a wealthy lawyer lay ahead for the young Roh. Photos at the time depict the former president enjoying yacht rides off the Busan harbor and his life seemed destined for prosperity and comfort.

 

His destiny dramatically changed in 1981. Roh was asked to defend a student accused of disseminating seditious material criticizing the then militarist regime of Chun Doo-hwan. That student was one of two dozen who were imprisoned and tortured. "When I saw their horrified eyes and missing toenails, my comfortable life as a lawyer came to an end. I became a man determined to make a difference in this world," said Roh in explaining his transformation into a human rights activist.

 

From that point forward Roh dedicated his life to progressive causes. He was a strident critic of Chun's government and was even jailed for three weeks after his participation in the "June Struggle" against the Chun administration in 1987.

 

Political ascension

 

His activism caught the attention of then opposition leader Kim Young-sam. The future president mentored Roh and ushered his entry into politics. In 1988 Roh was elected to the National Assembly in the 13th general elections representing the Dong-gu district of Busan as a member of Kim Young-sam's Unified Democratic Party.

 

It was during his initial stint as lawmaker that Roh first captured national attention. His harsh grilling of Chun Doo-hwan's corruption scandal during parliamentary hearings in 1988 was widely lauded by the public. He was noted for his sharp and logical interrogation tactics. At the time, Roh was considered a rapidly rising star in the world of Korean politics. However his career soon suffered a setback.

 

After Kim Young-sam decided to join a three-way merger between Kim Jong-pil and Roh Tae-woo in 1990, Roh parted ways with his mentor. Roh strongly felt a merger with the entrenched political powers subverted the original cause of Korea's struggle for democracy.

 

His principled decision derailed his political fortunes. In 1992 Roh was defeated in the 14th general elections as a member of Kim Dae-jung's political party. He was determined to rid the nation of regional-based politics and ran for the Busan mayoral race in 1995. However, he was again defeated in a region that habitually rejected candidates associated with the Jeolla-based Kim Dae-jung. He would lose another election for the National Assembly in 1996. Roh also lost a parliamentary bid during the 2000 general elections.

 

But his repeated electoral failures spurred a grassroots movement. Nosamo, which translates to "People who love Roh Moo-hyun" was a group inspired by his doggedness in trying to overcome regionalism. Roh was even affectionately nicknamed "Stupid Roh Moo-hyun" by his supporters for his idealistic zeal in trying to reform the political system.

 

Roh would eventually make a political comeback in 1998 by winning a by-election that was ironically made available when current President Lee Myung-bak was forced to resign from the National Assembly for electoral violations. The poignancy of Roh and Lee's political link will most certainly be a fascinating footnote in Korean history.

 

After Kim Dae-jung was elected president, Roh further added to his political portfolio by becoming minister of maritime affairs and fisheries in 2000. In the next couple years, Roh would make an audacious bid for the presidency that few people could have successfully predicted.

 

Unlikely president

 

Roh Moo-hyun was always an underdog in the lead up to the 2002 presidential election. As a candidate for the Millennium Democratic Party, he surprisingly defeated Rhee In-je in the primaries and was not expected to beat Grand National Party candidate Lee Hoi-chang in the main election.

 

The election was full of twists and turns until the day of balloting. Having agreed to an alliance with erstwhile presidential candidate Chung Mong-joon, Chung's sudden announcement that he would not support Roh's candidacy spurred a flurry of activity on the internet. Through e-mails, text messages and online postings, Roh Moo-hyun went down in history as the first president to utilize the Web as an effective campaign tool in capturing the presidency.

 

After the final votes were tallied, Roh Moo-hyun defeated Lee Hoi-chang by two percentage points and his supporters hoped the new leader would usher in an era of clean politics and a progressive transformation of governance. However, the 16th president's five-year term was marked by a series of ups and downs.

 

Tumultuous administration

 

At the outset, Roh vowed to rid the Korean body politic of corruption and cronyism. He envisioned reforms of the system that would transform Korea from a nation torn across regional divides, to a country that would debate policies and issues through reasoned ideological discussions.

 

His push for such reforms led to a split in the ruling party. Supporters of the president left the Millennium Democratic Party in 2003 and formed the Uri Party. The party intended to carry out Roh's desire to create a new way of governing.

 

Roh's support for the fledgling party landed him in trouble. After appearing on TV and stating his support for the Uri Party ahead of that year's parliamentary elections, his political opponents pounced on the minor electoral violation and voted to impeach the president in 2004. Television images at the time depicted sobbing Uri Party members trying to prevent the impeachment vote. The Constitutional Court subsequently overturned Roh's impeachment and Uri won the general elections in a landslide to become the majority party in the National Assembly.

 

After his reinstatement, President Roh vigorously set forth on his policy agenda, meeting with mixed results. He continued the Sunshine Policy of his predecessor Kim Dae-jung and perhaps the highlight of his presidency was his 2007 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. Roh will also be remembered for his push for the Korea-United State free trade agreement. His goal of turning Korea into a financial hub as well as being a "balancer" between the power players in the East Asia region is also a part of his record.

 

But Roh's stint as a leader was also met by occasional failure. He tried to move the nation's capital to South Chungcheong Province. This time the Constitutional Court handed him a defeat, and ruled the move away from Seoul unconstitutional.

 

He was known as a dogged opponent of the prosecution. Roh famously debated disgruntled prosecutors on television on the merits of his desire to reform the judicial system. From his days as a human rights lawyer, Roh's tense relationship with the prosecution would continue through the end of his life. His protestations of innocence against bribery charges and damage to his reputation ultimately became the suspected cause of his tragic death.

 

Roh suffered other indignities during his presidential term. He was derided for offering a "grand coalition" to the opposition GNP. The former president was also criticized for failing to invigorate the economy and stemming the rampant real estate speculation so prevalent through his time in office.

 

At the end of his term, the unpopular president received a blunt rejection of his performance when in 2008, the GNP's Lee Myung-bak swept into the presidency on a promise of national prosperity and a vow to undo much of Roh Moo-hyun's economic, political and foreign policy. Roh's political career came to an end when Lee was inaugurated as president in February of that year. Only 61 years old, the now ex-president embarked on a life of retirement that once again departed from the status quo.

 

Post-presidency and death

 

After leaving office, Roh decided to return to his hometown. He built a home at Bongha village in Gimhae and unlike his predecessors who retired to a secluded life in Seoul, Roh stayed in the public eye and immediately became a beloved figure among the village residents.

 

When President Lee Myung-bak suffered a crisis during the June 2008 anti-U.S. beef protests, Roh enjoyed a resurgence in popularity. Numerous blogs detailed his daily routine as a humble villager and thousands of netizens posted nostalgic comments in support of the former president. Still in his 60s, Roh seemed poised to remain an influential figure in Korean society over the next couple decades as a respected elder statesman.

 

However, in what turned out to be a recurring pattern in his life, Roh suffered another setback that would ultimately take his life. The man known as "Mr. Clean" became embroiled in an alleged corruption scandal that shook the political establishment.

 

His longtime financial backer Park Yeon-cha was arrested on charges of tax evasion. Prosecutors began zeroing in on Park's links to Roh and by early 2009, the former president was alleged to be the recipient of bribes in exchange for political favors. His close confidantes, political allies and family members became ensnared in what was known as "Roh Moo-hyun Gate."

 

The investigation into the alleged $6 million scandal dismayed many of Roh's supporters. The man who staked his political career on ridding corruption and on being a transformative reformist was suddenly accused of the very same crimes that tainted the past Korean presidents he railed against.

 

Roh vigorously claimed his innocence but was also contrite. "What I have to do now is bow to the nation and apologize. From now on, the name Roh cannot be a symbol of the values you pursue. I'm no longer qualified to speak about democracy and justice ... You should abandon me." These prescient postings on his website revealed a man wracked with guilt over the suffering of those close to him. Roh later shut down his website and appeared determined to fight the charges against him and restore his honor.

 

In mid-May, Roh Moo-hyun became the third president in modern Korean history after Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo to be summoned by the prosecution. That ignominy was to end in a much more tragic fate than that suffered by his two predecessors.

 

Early morning on May 23, Roh and a sole bodyguard went to Owl's Rock behind his Bongha residence for what was ostensibly a mountain hike. At 6:45 a.m., the beleaguered president leapt to his death. The obviously shaken bodyguard rushed Roh to Pusan National University Hospital. Despite the best efforts of the medical staff, he was pronounced dead at 9:30 a.m. A coroner's report stated the cause of death was severe head trauma.

 

As the bereaved rushed to the hospital, it soon became apparent Roh's death was not accidental. His computer at home had a document file saved shortly before his final trek. The suicide note made clear his final days were not peaceful.

 

"I've hurt so many people around me." "I can't even read or write." "Life and death are ultimately the same in nature." "This is fate ..." "Cremate me."

 

Roh's body was carried back from the hospital to Bongha village later that evening. The outpouring of grief brought together thousands of people from all walks of life and political stripes. As the nation mourned his passing, it was impossible to find anyone in this country of nearly 50 million unaffected by Roh's death.

 

National tragedy

 

Roh's place in history will always be a subject for debate. Some people will always consider him a polarizing figure, a rabble-rouser with an acerbic wit that offended the sensibilities of a Confucian-based society.

 

However, for the people who believed in him, Nosamo, the 386-generation, his political allies and young netizens inspired by what his presidency represented, Roh's passing will always be remembered as a life that ended much too early. For his supporters, regret over what the former president could have accomplished had he lived will always be a source of remorse.

 

A final anecdote: to the end, Roh was apparently determined to spare his bodyguard grief. He also, perhaps, wanted to preempt any attempts to stop him from meeting his ultimate fate. Reportedly, Roh pointed out some people hiking nearby right before his fateful decision. When the bodyguard glanced at the hikers, Roh took that split-second opportunity to jump off the cliff. The rattled young security officer only had time to see Roh's body at the bottom of the ravine and as it turned out, was unable to prevent Roh's final decision in life.

 

Roh Moo-hyun's legacy is yet to be written. He is the first president in modern Korean history to end his own life and the ramifications of his passing will not be known for some time. What cannot be doubted is the fact that May 23, 2009 will be forever known as the day the nation lost a leader, who for better or worse, strove to better his country in his well-known uncompromising fashion.

 

It is perhaps a whimsical sentiment, but going back to his final words to his bodyguard and his requests for a cigarette, there is a lingering sadness the former president was not able to enjoy that final smoke.

 

Source: Korea Herald