While out hiking in the mountains behind his home, former South Korean president, Roh Mu-hyun leaped to his death Saturday morning, apparently unable to cope with continued allegations that he accepted more than $6 million in bribes from South Korean businessman while in office.A few weeks back, before going in front of prosecutors, Roh (pronounced "Noh") told people gathered outside the prosecutor's office, "I have no face to show to the people. I am sorry for disappointing you."
Roh had admitted that his wife had recieved $1 million in bribes, but had denied involvment with the other $5 million.
And so ends the rags to riches tale of a farm boy that never went to college and who studied law on his own before passing South Korea's difficult bar exam. As a candidate for president Roh won the favor of young people with his refusal to "kowtow" to the United States while inflaming anti-U.S. sentiment.
I respected the man for his accomplishments, but will never forgive his exploitation of the deaths of two middle school girls accidentally run over by U.S Army vehicles in June of 2002.
It was my first time visiting Busan and I was greeted outside the train station by an angry mob giving me the evil eye and waving blown up photos of the girl's crushed, bloody bodies. I wrote about the intimidating atmosphere of the time for the San Francisco Chronicle.
Several South Korean media outlets refused to print apologies and expressions of remorse by the U.S. soldiers, thus further inflaming the hundreds of thousands that took to the street in protest. An average of seventeen people are killed everyday on the road by Korean drivers.
Roh was also was an adamant supporter of Kim Dae-jung's "Sunshine Policy" and was known as a North Korean apologist, who often criticized Japan and the U.S. for their tough stance against Kim Jong-il.
The 62-year-old Roh left a note behind saying that things had been "difficult" and he felt he had made "too many people suffer."
14 Comments:
I agree that he rode those dead girls to the presidency. Those were dark days in Korea.
I read your Chronicle article. Interesting stuff.
RIP President Noh.
maybe he read your take on the korean stance on suicide, and thought he might put his bid in before the current house of delusions tried to push their agenda.
as for his rise to power. i was here, like many and i was not at all impressed with his vision of the future or his handling of things you highlighted.
its of no worth saying i'm glad he never got a second term cuz nobody in korea does. its almost pre destined i suppose. all 3 leaders during my tenure, enter under deluded hopes and dreams of the people only to leave in disgrace of some sort, and only later still to be humiliated by actions they did whilst running for office, running the office, and running away from the office.
that said, you'd wonder why any sane rational person would wanna run for power here. knowing the shit they are getting into only to walk the departing walk of (possible) shame 5 years later
He broke a lot of people's hearts with his illegalities. It is a shame. What a cowardice way to answer the allegations. guilty.
Just listening to BBC World Service regarding former president Roh Mu-hyun's suicide, a Korean woman was being interviewed in Seoul to gauge the reaction to his death, she said in Korean 'He did the right thing, he must have been suffering so much and this will help prevent more suffering for his family'. Not being a Korean national I find this attitude very strange, it’s hard to understand, I wonder how many other Koreans are thinking like this woman, that he did the right thing? I can't help feeling for the youth of Korea, some of whom will look up to Noh who represented Korea at the highest level, and learn that this is the correct way to confront your mistakes. If people at the very apex of society do not show real responsibility and maturity, it leaves a poor example for future generations. What a waste of so many things, it's a shame he didn't climb a mountain somewhere else, hide away in a Buddhist temple and spend 6 months meditating on how he could use his obvious intellect for something good.
i just had a second thought. former prez roh, not only had the support of the 386 generation, but a large part of his support came from the trollers bloggers and gossip mongers known as netizens. got me thinking, that the people are representation of the kind of leadership and vice versa. perhaps thats why he did such a lackluster performance. but thats just my cruel cold bitter take on it.
i did like anonymous' idea of going of to temple and meditating though. seems like a more responsible thing. i agree, sending the message that rubbing oneself out is a weak and foolish message to be sending young folks, particularly the ones who elected him, if shame is thick in the genes in korea, imagine how they must feel having voted him in.
It's interesting for me to write in the comment section. I feel like I am a different person than when I write the blog.
Perhaps I am more human... and in that sense, I too like the idea that he should have gone and meditated on this for a few months. It is similar to the anti-smoking folks who say that Obama should tell children that "hey, even I, the president make mistakes and sometimes it is beyond my control."
I feel a bit of sympathy for the man in death, much more so than in life. He was great, Horatio Alger to the hilt. But all of that is now for nil. Such a tragedy from all sides.
Classy title to this post. Real classy.
"If people at the very apex of society do not show real responsibility and maturity, it leaves a poor example for future generations."
I won't say suicide is ever the right or wrong thing to do, but I have to disagree strongly when you suggest he did it to evade responsibility. In this case, his suicide is pretty much the ultimate in claiming responsibility. That buck (or six million bucks, in this case) stops right there.
No, he killed himself to help HIS FAMILY evade responsibility. The tragedy to me is not that some crook who betrayed the public trust decided to off himself, but that with his death the investigations will cease and a bunch of other crooks will walk.
I'll join the chorus here and say I never forgave that S.O.B. either for his disgraceful exploitation of an obvious accident for political advancement. He showed himself willing to stoop pretty low to get the job, so I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised that he stooped a few more times apparently in exercising the powers of his office for his own personal gain.
I'm sorry for his family (though I'd be a little sorrier if they themselves weren't complicit in robbing the Korean taxpayers), but Roh can go to hell for all I care.
JB
How is this for classy?
Roh Roh Roh your boat, harshly up shit creek
Scarily scarily scarily scarily, ending your life is weak
Interesting factoid: The CIA world fact book printed his name on their website phonetically as "No" --which is the correct pronunciation, but he petitioned them to change it to "Roh" which for some odd reason is the accepted spelling.
I'm hoping it'll improve investigations against current and future presidents here and abroad.
I like to think of it as the iRobot plot. It was his way to get people to open their eyes.
I agree... to this point there hasn't been much of a deterrent.
I guess Lee Myung-bak could become the first president that isn't corrupt --he is already rich. lol
i wonder what the amazing ben j. has to say about this topic. i'm sure it involves the CIA, FBI and best of all, the IRS and world bankers.
as for me, i, among many others, am appalled at such actions coming from a man "of the people". maybe it's my western mind. committing suicide is the ultimate form of selfishness. and all for just 6 million dollars?? give me a break. i certainly hope none of my students follow in this man's last footsteps, so to speak.
This was a very straight forward event. No comment here, except unless you actually have one (or more) relative kill them self, you realize how painful it can be.
People who kill themselves must not think about their family when they do so...if they did, they wouldn't go ahead with it.
Rest assured, the CIA is busy enough killing thousands of innocent people via drones over Pakistan and Afghanistan while working with our Sovietized media to promote more war amongst Obama's war loving Neo-Libs to worry about some figure head politician in South Korea, his saving of face, and a mere $6,000,000.
During the Afghan War of the 1980s, about $3,000,000,000,000 (that's right, TRILLION) was printed to back the CIA there. I wonder who's behind the camera in all these AP and Reuters reels we see of gangs of extremists an hour outside of Islamabad.
What is the difference between the American CIA, Israeli Mossad, and Afghan Taliban? There is none...it's all state sponsored terrorism.
As for the IRS and The Fed...rest assured I will try my best to be tea-baggin' it on The National Mall lawn in DC this 4th of July weekend with the likes of Ron Paul and The Campaign For Liberty.
We Are Change.
has anyone checked in with Lee Majors? how does he like sharing the spot light with this other 6 million dollar man? 30 yrs unrivaled! not a bad run there Steve Austin.
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