노무현 (盧武鉉) - August 6 1046 ~ May 23, 2009

 

Roh Moo-hyun (Korean pronunciation: [no mu hjʌn]) (6 August 1946 – 23 May 2009) was the 16th President of South Korea (2003–2008). Before entering politics, he was a human rights lawyer.

Roh's pre-presidential political career focused on human rights advocacy for student activists in South Korea. His electoral career later expanded to a focus on overcoming regionalism in South Korean politics, culminating in his election to the presidency. The election was strongly influenced by activists on the Internet, and particularly via OhmyNews—the first time this had ever happened in Korea.[4][5]

Roh's election was notable for the arrival to power of a new generation in Korean politics, the so-called 386 Generation, (i.e. people in their thirties when the word was coined, who had attended university in the 1980s, and who were born in the 1960s).[6][7] This generation had been veterans of student protests against authoritarian rule, and advocated an assertively nationalist line towards the United States and Japan, and a conciliatory approach towards North Korea. They took up many positions on Roh's staff.[8]

Despite high initial hopes,[9] however, Roh's administration quickly became dogged by allegations of incompetence, while Roh's frequent indulgence in personal clashes with his opponents and critics eroded public support. Conflict would continue throughout his presidency, which was characterized by continual labor unrest,[10][11] personal feuds with the media, and diplomatic friction with the United States[12] and Japan. Many of Roh's seemingly reckless political campaigns, including a plan to move the capital, and a plan to form a coalition with the opposition, also fizzled.

One year and two months after leaving office, Roh became the center of an ongoing bribery scandal. This scandal, the collapse of the "Pro-Roh faction" of politicians,[13] the collapse of the Uri Party and the defeat of its successor Democratic Party in the National Assembly, and the defeat of Roh's designated successor in the presidential elections, marked a decline in the fortunes of the 386 Generation that had brought Roh to power.[14]

Roh committed suicide on 23 May 2009 by jumping from a mountain cliff, after leaving a suicide note.[15] His suicide was confirmed by the police.[16]

 

Personal background

 

Roh was born in 1946 to a farming family in Gimhae, near Busan, in southeastern South Korea. In 1960, he led a protest at his school against mandatory essays extolling then-President Syngman Rhee. A high school graduate who never attended university, he worked at odd jobs after serving in the Korean army.

Roh studied alone to pass the bar exam in 1975. In 1977, he became a regional judge in Daejeon, and began practicing tax law in 1978. In 1981, he defended students who had been tortured for possession of contraband literature. In early 2003, he was quoted as saying, "When I saw their horrified eyes and their missing toenails, my comfortable life as a lawyer came to an end. I became a man that wanted to make a difference in the world." He opposed the autocracy in place at the time in South Korea, and participated in the pro-democracy June Struggle in 1987 against Chun Doo-hwan.

 

Early political career

 

In 1988, Roh was invited by Kim Young-sam to join the Democratic Reunification Party(Korean:통일민주당) and entered politics. In the same year, he was elected as a member of the National Assembly, representing Dong-gu, Busan. He grilled the government over political corruption allegations in a parliamentary hearing, which won him his first public attention.

In 1990, he did not participate in the Democratic Liberal Party and he criticized Kim Young-sam. Instead, he joined the Democratic Party, a faction of the Democratic Reuinification Party. He ran for re-election in 1992, but was defeated. He ran for the mayor of Busan in 1995, but was defeated by the candidate of Democratic Liberal Party. Shortly after the election, Kim Dae-jung founded the National Congress for New Politics, but Roh criticized the party and Kim Dae-jung unfavorably.

In 1996, he ran for a member of the National Assembly in Jung-gu of Seoul, but was defeated by another future president, Lee Myung-bak.

Just before the Presidential election in 1997, he endorsed to Kim Dae-jung, and entered the National Congress for New Politics.

He returned to office in 1998, when Lee Myung-bak resigned his seat because of a violation of election law, winning a seat in the ensuing by-election.

In 2000, Roh ran for the National Assembly representing Buk-gu and Gangseo-gu in Busan in an attempt to overcome regionalism in Korean politics, but was defeated. His defeat in the election, however, proved frutitous when his supporters formed Nosamo, the first political fan club in Korea.[17] His supporters were inspired by his commitment to overcoming regionalism.[18]

In 2000, Roh was appointed as the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries under Kim Dae-jung, and this position would later constitute his only real government experience prior to the presidency. Roh would later use his lack of experience to his advantage in a populist presidential campaign, depicting himself as a newcomer and outsider unbeholden to the traditional business and political elites.[19] Roh won the presidency on 19 December 2002, by defeating Lee Hoi-chang with a narrow 2% margin of victory. Roh's surprise election was made possible by a last minute Internet and text message campaign that targeted younger voters[20], as well as a wave of anti-American sentiment[21] that had swept the country in the previous year.

 

Presidency

 

The first year

 

Roh entered office intent on introducing an ambitious new agenda—including the continuance of the existing Sunshine Policy of engagement towards North Korea,[22] the establishment of Korea as a business hub in Northeast Asia, the expansion of social welfare, the pursuit of "balanced national development" to help underdeveloped areas, the eradication of corruption, reform of education and tax systems, reform of labor-management relations, reform of mass media, and a recasting of the relationship with the United States and Japan.[23] This program stumbled early on due to campaign finance scandals within his administration, and a series of gaffes on the part of Roh.

Three months into his presidency, Roh bolstered skepticism about his ability and experience when he stated, "I feel incompetent as president and a sense of crisis that I will not be able to perform my presidential duties."[24] Roh set the tone of his administration with a number of political gambles, including threats to quit pursuant to a national referendum[25], and measures to uncover and reveal the names of the descendants of Japanese collaborators more than six decades after the Japanese had left Korea. The investigations, criticized as politically motivated, and coming far too late to provide any substantive redress, mostly resulted in damage to his own party members.[26][27][28]

Uri Party and impeachment

Roh and his supporters left the Millennium Democratic Party in 2003 to form a new party, the Uri Party (열린우리당, lit. "Our Open Party"). Roh's popularity was rapidly declining by that point, principally on perceptions of mismanagement of the economy. His conciliatory North Korea policy was derided as appeasement by his opponents, while his decision to send troops to Iraq upon US request was controversial with his dwindling supporters. Controversy within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade led to the replacement of the Minister, and a contentious free trade treaty with Chile brought farmers to the streets. Labor unrest continued nearly uninterrupted from the time he assumed the presidency.[29]

Directly ahead of the National Assembly elections, Roh voiced support for the Uri Party, which constituted a technical violation of Constitutional provisions mandating presidential impartiality. When Roh refused demands to apologize, opposition lawmakers saw their chance, and on March 12, 2004, the South Korean National Assembly voted to impeach him on charges of illegal electioneering and incompetence. The vote was 193-2 (Uri Party members abstained from the vote). Roh's supporters physically blocked the motion for 3 days in open combat, and had to be hauled out by security guards.[30] Roh's executive power was suspended pending a final decision by the Constitutional Court, and Prime Minister Goh Kun ran the country as the Acting President.

The National Assembly's attempt to impeach Roh was largely opposed by the public. Although Roh's popularity had hovered around 30%, many thought the impeachment was harsh and heavy-handed, and Roh's popularity went up dramatically soon after the assembly's vote to impeach Roh. The results of the April 2004 parliamentary election showed public support for him, with the Uri Party winning a majority of seats.

On May 14, 2004, the Constitutional Court overturned the impeachment decision, restoring Roh as President, and allowing Roh to enjoy a brief period of increased support.

After the reinstatement

Roh did little to modify his style upon his return, and both his and his party's popularity rapidly fell to even lower levels than before. Again perceptions of neglect and mismanagement of the economy outweighed any political considerations.[31] Although exports performed at record levels and the economy grew, growth still lagged behind both the previous administration and the rest of the world, while the domestic economy stagnated.[32] At the same time regulations proliferated, investment capital exited the country,[33] unemployment (especially among the young) increased, wealthy students flocked overseas as the education system stagnated, and housing prices in Seoul soared far beyond the reach of the average citizen. Roh responded by dismissing criticism as "shameless mudslinging,"[34][35] and touted the achievements of his government in increasing national competitiveness, strengthening the economy, and pumping up stock prices.[36] This somewhat cavalier attitude led to his Uri Party suffering consecutive defeats in the Assembly, before eventually collapsing, as Roh had become so unpopular that a new party was needed to disassociate from him.[37]

Roh's ambitious initial promises to establish Korea as an international business hub in Asia[38] disappeared almost completely soon after his election.[39][40][41][42] Instead, Korea under Roh suffered negative publicity from prosecutorial investigations on the purchase and sale of Korea Exchange Bank by the Lone Star Fund, spurring foreign investors to join their domestic counterparts in leaving the country.[43] When housing prices soared, Roh responded by drastically raising taxes and imposing price controls, rather than increasing the supply of housing in Seoul.[44] This actually decreased the supply of housing available.[45] At the same time, Roh also increased welfare spending by 18% a year, and drastically increased spending by increasing the size of the civil service by more than 95,700 new hires, or approximately 60 people a day. Criticism of lax discipline among the civil service and police force was high during his reign.

The remainder of Roh's term was characterized by a number of desultory campaigns pursued to varying degrees of success and completion. One of the more successful campaigns (at least during his term) was Roh's pursuit of an FTA with the United States, concluded in April 2007 after many months of negotiations. Roh successfully pushed for the FTA in spite of domestic opposition from his traditional leftist constituency (who denounced it as "neoliberal")[46] and various groups (particularly farmers) opposed to market opening.[47][48] The FTA, however, is as of yet unratified in the legislatures of both countries.

As part of his "balanced national development" campaign to reverse the concentration of wealth in Seoul, Roh also pursued a plan to relocate the capital 100 miles away to Chungcheong, ostensibly to relieve congestion. Roh had made this promise during his campaign, and doggedly pursued its fulfillment, despite never making clear how such a costly move would benefit the public, and little interest in the relocation among voters outside of Chungcheong.[49] After much controversy, the Constitutional Court obviated Roh's plans by ruling that the relocation of the capital was unconstitutional, thus inflicting a huge blow to Roh's political standing. Roh's plan was then amended to the creation of an "administrative capital," though this plan too never saw completion.

'The grand coalition'

The ruling Uri Party had lost in every by-election under Roh's leadership, and there was no exception in the by-elections held on April 30, 2005, when the party was defeated in every one of the 23 electoral districts. Facing the outcome of his unpopularity, Roh took a rather strange measure to save his presidency when he proposed a grand coalition with the opposition Grand National Party. Roh's rationale was that since it was impossible to continue his presidency with an approval rate of around 20 percent, a grand coalition comprising the Opened We Party and the Grand National Party was desirable, and that the difference between both parties in terms of political agendas was actually minute. Roh promised he would yield much of his power and might even resign from office if a grand coalition was successfully launched.

Roh's proposal for the grand coalition stirred yet another national controversy. Many called his plan "reckless and completely ignorant" of the sentiments of people still ailing from repeated political controversies and economic hardships. Many of the Opened We Party's supporters who identify as liberals were enraged at Roh holding that his party was not really different from the conservative opposition. The Grand National Party, enjoying relatively strong approval rate but still bent on revenge for the party's defeat in major elections, repeatedly declined to initiate a negotiation for the coalition. While the Opened We Party grudgingly supported the President's proposal, a lawmaker defected from the party in protest of Roh's plan, and the loss of popularity was felt when the party suffered yet another complete defeat in the by-election on October 26, 2005, this time including one of the party's stronghold electoral districts. Roh's plan was scrapped, having failed to garner support from either political faction.

Libel lawsuit

On September 6, 2007, the South Korea presidential office announced that it would file forthwith a libel case against conservative opposition Grand National Party (GNP) (frontrunner in December's election), Lee Myung-bak. Lee enjoyed 50% support in opinion polls against 10% for the leading candidate of the pro-government United New Democratic Party (UNDP) Roh Moo-Hyun. Moon Jae-In, chief presidential secretary, stated that the criminal case will be filed to preserve trust in the government.[50]

Trade policy

Roh Moo-hyun initiated numerous free trade agreement negotiations, including U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement which was the most controversial as Roh benefited from an anti-American presidency campaign. Kim Hyun-jong, who was the deputy minister for trade and later the minister for trade for 4 years in Roh administration and therefore who had led most of Roh administration's FTAs, took aggressive and speedy steps toward free trade, getting himself fierce accusations from opponents and strong praises from supporters.

 

Foreign relations

 

United States

 

Roh was perceived as an anti-American before the presidential race, which was not a handicap during the presidential campaign. Public antipathy to the United States was prevalent in 2002, which was particularly evoked by the incident where two South Korean high school girls were crushed to death by an armored truck driven by the U.S. Army and the U.S. Army soldiers were not given a formal trial. Roh once remarked that anti-Americanism could be allowable before he won the presidency and it worked in Roh's favor and led many people to believe that he would lead an independent line in terms of relation with the U.S.

However, many Koreans who supported Roh during the presidential campaign felt betrayed when Roh and the National Assembly decided to deploy troops to Iraq in support of the U.S. leading military campaign. Roh explained the deployment as only a peacekeeping mission and claimed that such commitment was required to bring favor from the U.S. in resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis.

In February 2006, Roh announced that South Korea would initiate negotiations with the U.S. for a free trade agreement.[51] Many including Roh's former economic advisor[who?] expressed concerns that the government was acting hastily and the effect of the agreement would be detrimental to certain sectors of the nation's economy such as agriculture. Despite such opposition, Roh repeatedly supported the idea.

Japan See also: Japan–Korea disputes

South Korea's relationship with Japan was in a healthy condition when Roh entered office. However, his first visit to the neighboring country in 2003 was scheduled on a date that coincided with Korean Memorial Day.

During the visit, Roh proclaimed he would not seek any more apologies from Japan over its colonial occupation, in the hope of maintaining a friendly relationship between the two countries. Although Roh's proclamation was made in good faith, some expressed concern that Japan may have interpreted this as the termination of its responsibility for the colonial past, and use it as an excuse to deny any claims for compensation that may arise in the future.

Despite Roh's hope, relations with Japan deteriorated henceforth, in several areas of conflict such as compensation issues for comfort women, denial of the colonial past in Japanese history textbooks, and disputes over the Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo/Takeshima). Another sensitive issue, former Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine were harshly criticized in South Korea, and Roh declared no further meetings with Koizumi would take place unless he stopped visiting the shrine.

Although being on bad terms with Japan, a very important trading and tourism partner was not in Korea's national interest, Roh himself benefited from the disputes.[citation needed] His approval rating saw a momentary surge with every breakout of disputes, and he took advantage of the situation in a number of nationally televised speeches dealing with diplomatic issues.[citation needed]

In an address to the nation on April 25, 2006 regarding disputes over the Liancourt Rocks, Roh reaffirmed that he didn't seek another apology from Japan, but demanded that Japan take action in compliance with its past apologies.[52] The speech was applauded by many Koreans despite Roh's low popularity. The then-Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi characterized the speech as intended for domestic audiences.[53]

 

Retirement

 

After leaving office, Roh retired to Bongha Maeul, a small village in his hometown. This marked a break with previous custom, where former presidents retired to heavily guarded houses in Seoul.[54] Bongha – a village of 121 people – became a minor tourist attraction due to Roh's presence.[54]

 

Presidential Record scandal

 

Since he left office, an investigation found that 238 computer disks, including the 72-terabyte presidential records of Roh administration "disappeared" from the presidential residence sometime before President Lee Myung-bak took office in February 2008.[55] Roh claimed that it was approved by President Lee. This disappearance was controversial for a few months, and ended with Roh returning the archives.

 

Allegations of bribery

 

In early 2009, allegations of corruption had begun to surface regarding the former President's family and aides, eventually leading to the indictment of Roh's elder brother Roh Gun-Pyeong on suspicion of influence peddling.[56][57] It soon became clear that investigation would have to expand to encompass Roh Moo-Hyun's aides,[58] as well as other members of his family.[59] As the investigation closed in on Roh's former secretary, Chung Sang-Moon, Roh made the surprise announcement on his website that "The accusation should be directed at us, not Chung. My family made the request, received money and used it."[60] By May 2009, prosecutors had summoned Roh's wife,[61] son,[62] and eventually the former President himself[63] on suspicion of receiving a total of 6 million dollars in bribes from Park Yeon-Cha, a businessman close to the ex-President. Roh was subject to initial written questioning by prosecutors,[64] before direct questioning, prior to which he apologized again to the public and stated that "he was overwhelmed by shame."[65]

Roh's investigation for corruption proved especially disappointing to his supporters because he had campaigned on pledges to "clean up the presidency,"[66] and root out corruption, while condemning his opponents as hopelessly corrupt. [67]

In one speech to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Korea's "June Struggle" for democracy, Roh vehemently attacked critics who described him as incompetent, stating, "They even deal out the absurd rhetoric that they would rather have a corrupt administration than an inept one while openly revealing their true colors as forces of corruption and the security-driven dictatorships of the past. What’s more, they label the democratic forces as being inept, plotting to rise to power on the back of the nostalgia for the development-oriented dictatorships of the past."[68]

Roh's self-righteous stance resulted in harsh condemnation of the ex-President for hypocrisy when the scandal broke,[69] a criticism he himself acknowledged in a message on his website when he stated, "I have lost my moral cause just with the facts I have so far admitted. The only thing left is the legal procedure"[70] Roh further added, "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."[71] Despite these appeals, Roh continued to deny all knowledge of the receipt of money by his family from Park Yeon-Cha, in contradiction to Park's testimony.[72] Roh refused cross-examination with Park.[73]

In contrast to scandals involving previous Presidents, who reportedly used illicit funds to finance political campaigns,[74] Roh is alleged to have used illicit funds for the personal use of his family, including the payment of living expenses for his children in the United States.[75]

By mid-May, prosecutors were investigating the confidant of the current President Lee Myung-bak.[76] Prosecutors had also turned up new evidence sufficient to physically detain Roh, as his family members had admitted to destroying evidence of their receipt of watches worth $100,000 each, as well as the contract for a luxury apartment in the New York area allegedly purchased with illicit funds.[77] Roh's brother was also sentenced to a four year jail term for bribery.[78]

 

Death

 

Roh Moo-Hyun died on 23 May 2009 after jumping from a 30-meter (100 ft) high cliff known as Bueong'i Bawi (lit. Owl's Rock) behind his rural home in the village of Bongha.[15][79] He sustained serious head injuries and was sent to a hospital in the nearby city of Busan at around 8:15 a.m. (23:15 GMT) and pronounced dead at around 9:30 a.m. (00:30 GMT).[15] According to his lawyer, Roh left a suicide note on his computer saying life was "difficult" and apologized for making "too many people suffer."[15]

I have owed to too many people. The amount of burden I have caused to them is too great. I can't begin to fathom the countless

agonies down the road. The rest of my life would only be a burden for others. I am unable to do anything because of poor health.

I can't read books, nor can I write. Do not be too sad. Isn't life and death all part of nature? Do not be sorry. Do not feel resentment

toward anyone. It is fate. Cremate me. And leave only a small tombstone near home. I've thought this for a while.

(Original text in Korean) 너무 많은 사람들에게 신세를 졌다. 나로 말미암아 여러 사람이 받은 고통이 너무 크다. 앞으로 받을 고통도

헤아릴 수가 없다. 여생도 남에게 짐이 될 일 밖에 없다. 건강이 좋지 않아서 아무 것도 할 수가 없다. 책을 읽을 수도 글을 쓸 수도 없다.

너무 슬퍼하지 마라. 삶과 죽음이 모두 자연의 한 조각 아니겠는가? 미안해 하지 마라. 누구도 원망하지 마라. 운명이다. 화장해라. 그리고 집 가까운 곳에 아주 작은 비석 하나만 남겨라. 오래된 생각이다.[80][81]

 

 

The South Korean police later confirmed Roh's suicide.[16] Current President Lee Myung-bak stated that "the news was truly unbelievable and deeply sad." Justice Minister Kim Kyung-han said the corruption case against him would be formally closed. However, he did not say whether the former president's family would continue to be investigated.[81]

 

Roh's suicide follows the suicide of a number of high profile figures under corruption investigations in Korea in recent years, including the former secretary of Prime Minister Kim Young-chul,[82] former Busan mayor Ahn Sang-Young (who committed suicide while in prison),[83] Park Tae-young, former governor of Jeolla province,[84] and Chung Mong-hun, a former Hyundai executive. Roh himself had been sued by the widow of former Daewoo E&C head Nam Sang-Guk for allegedly making defamatory comments that drove her husband to throw himself off of a bridge.[85][86][87]

 

By May 27, Roh's bodyguard revealed that he was not with the former president when he committed suicide.[88] Roh's public funerary ceremony will involve both Buddhist and Catholic rites.[89