Emulate Suicide With Honour! (Remembering Korean President Roh Moo Hyun’s Tragic Suicide to Redeem Honour) Dr. Delmar Topinio Taclibon, July 24, 2014 “I am in debt to so many people. I have caused too great a burden to be placed upon them. I cant 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 cant read, I cant write. Do not be too sad. Isnt life and death all a 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. Ive thought on this for a long time.” –President Roh Moo Hyun’s Suicide Note- Prelude South Korea has a history of tragic end of Presidents that came to power. Syngman Rhee, the country’s first President, died in exile. Strongman Park Chung Hee’s rule ended with his assassination. Of the country’s recent leaders, two landed in jail (Chun Doo-Hwan and Roo Tae-Woo) and the others had family members imprisoned after lengthy public investigations. The Background Roh Moo-hyun (1 September 1946 – 23 May 2009) was the ninth President of the Republic of Korea (2003–2008). Rohs pre-presidential political career was 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. He achieved a large following among younger internet users, particularly at the website OhMyNews, which aided his success in the presidential election. Rohs election was notable for the arrival in power of a new generation of Korean politicians, the so-called 386 Generation, (i.e. people in their thirties when the term was coined, who had attended university in the 1980s, and who were born in the 1960s). This generation had been veterans of student protests against authoritarian rule, and advocated a conciliatory approach towards North Korea, even at the expense of good relations with the USA. Roh and his supporters left the Millennium Democratic Party in 2003 to form a new party, the Uri Party (Our Open Party). 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 12 March 2004, the South Korean National Assembly voted to impeach him on charges of illegal electioneering. The vote was 193–2 (Uri Party members abstained from the vote). Rohs supporters physically blocked the motion for three days in open combat, and had to be hauled out by security guards. Rohs 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 Impeachment The National Assemblys attempt to impeach Roh was largely opposed by the public. From 12 March 2004, to 27 March, protest against the impeachment motion was led by citizens movement for eradicating corruption. According to the police, 50,000 people gathered to protest in 13 March alone. Although Rohs popularity had hovered around 30%, the impeachment was taken as a power struggle against the political reform and the choice of the citizen, and Rohs popularity went up soon after the assemblys 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 14 May 2004, the Constitutional Court overturned the impeachment decision, restoring Roh as President. After the incident, Roh joined the Uri party as a member, officially making the Uri party as the ruling party. The Indictments On 4 December 2008, Roh Moo-hyuns elder brother, Gun-Pyeong, was indicted on charges of illegally taking 30 million won from former Daewoo Engineering & Construction and the prosecutors put him in jail. On 7 April 2009, Chung Sang-Moon,the former secretary of Roh Moo-hyun was arrested on charges In early 2009, allegations of corruption had begun to surface regarding the former Presidents family and aides, eventually leading to the indictment of Rohs elder brother Roh Gun-Pyeong on suspicion of influence peddling. It soon became clear that investigation would have to expand to encompass Roh Moo-Hyuns aides, as well as other members of his family. As the investigation closed in on Rohs former secretary, Chung Sang-Moon, Roh made the surprise announcement on his website that The accusation should be directed at our household, not Chung. Our household made the request, received money and used it. At the same time, Roh claimed that he himself had not known of the money transfer before his retirement. By May 2009, prosecutors had summoned Rohs wife, son, and eventually the former President himself 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, before direct questioning, prior to which he apologized again to the public and stated that he was overwhelmed by shame. Rohs investigation for corruption proved especially disappointing to his supporters because he had campaigned on pledges to clean up the presidency, and root out corruption, while condemning his opponents as hopelessly corrupt. The Suicide of Roh Moo Hyun Roh Moo-Hyun died on the morning of 23 May 2009 after apparently jumping from a 45-meter (150 ft) cliff known as Bueongi Bawi (lit. Owls Rock) behind his rural home in his home village of Bongha. He sustained serious head injuries and was sent by car (not by ambulance) to Seyoung hospital nearby at 7:20 am and moved to Busan University Hospital at around 8:15 am (and pronounced dead at around 9:30 am (00:30 GMT). According to police, Roh left a suicide note on his computer apologizing for making too many people suffer and requested that his body be cremated. I am in debt to so many people. I have caused too great a burden to be placed upon them. I cant 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 cant read, I cant write. Do not be too sad. Isnt life and death all a 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. Ive thought on this for a long time. The Series of Suicide Top Ranking Officials Rohs suicide followed 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, former Busan mayor Ahn Sang-Young (who committed suicide while in prison), Park Tae-young, former governor of Jeolla province, 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. Rohs suicide was followed later in the year by the suicide of another politician, the Mayor of Yangsan, who was being subject to a corruption investigation. Sporadic violent demonstrations in Seoul immediately after the funeral resulted in the detention of 72 people. Rohs suicide resulted in a sudden positive shift in domestic perception towards the late President, leading one critical professor to comment, How could he become an instant saint upon his suicide? Perceptions of an excessive investigation on Rohs alleged improprieties boosted support for the opposition Party (itself formed when Rohs then unpopularity made it a liability to be associated with him), giving them enough leverage to demand that President Lee Myung-bak apologize for the politically motivated investigation they claimed caused Rohs death, and discipline those responsible. Support for the opposition party increased to 28.3%, outpolling the ruling GNP at 23.5%. The Democratic Party also decided to block the scheduled opening of the National Assembly until the Lee Myung-bak government accepted responsibility for Rohs suicide. The chief prosecutor in Rohs bribery case also resigned. A year after Roh died, his autobiography was published by his personal and political fellows. Based on Rohs previous books, unpublished draft, notes, letters and interviews, it follows Rohs life from birth to death. He died about 3 months before 8th President Kim Dae-jung died on 18 August 2009 of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. Research: Dr. Delmar Topinio Taclibon, Bt., DKR, KRSS, BSCE, MBA, Ph.D.D.A. References: Shaking the System, William Dobson and B.J. Lee, Newsweek, March 22, 2004 Former South Korea President Leaps to Death in Ravine, The Guardian/The Observer, Justin McCurry, 24th May 2009 Is Korea Land of Missing Leaders? The Korea Times. 29th April 2009. Ex-Presidents Wife, Son Questioned, The Korea Times, 12th April 2009 South Korea stunned by Rohs suicide, BBC News. 23rd May 2009. Roh Sued for Defaming Late Daewoo E&C CEO, Koreatimes, 19th December 2008. Widow Calls for Rohs Apology Over Death, Koreatimes, 16th December 2008. Mayor Commits suicide Ahead of Investigation, Koreatimes, 27th November 2009.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 16:09:16 +0000
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