Roh Moo Hyun  

Ilsaeng 5/25/2009 3:12 pm Last Read: 5/29/2009 1:13 pm

I've been watching The Iron Empress on my local KBS station (lucky for me it is subtitled). Just before it comes on, the news is finishing up (it is not subtitled). On Saturday, there was a story of a man's death. Then on Sunday, they did a Special Report of the man's funeral just before Iron Empress started. I could gather he must have been an important man. I figured his story would have to be in the online newspaper The Korea Herald. (I subscribe to this.) Sure enough, there it was...3 stories actually, Roh Moo Hyun, former president. I am sorry to hear about his death. He must have been well liked for the out pour of emotion I saw from the people. if you ain't been dancin' lately, don't blame your shoes

je_te_veux Ask me for a photo 253 posts  5/28/2009 10:24 pm

Funny thing is he really wasn't that popular during his presidency. He received so many criticism from press and internet that it was considered as "national sport" to criticize him. Some even called him "frog president". His leadership was very unpopular with his support for war in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as his support for free market that have destabilized the lives of Korean working class. And even after his presidency, that is right before he committed suicide, he was found guilty for corruption charge during his presidency. Such charge was actually what drove him to suicide. I think people are sympathetic toward him because his suicide seem to show that he does have guilty consciousness. Compare to some of past presidents, Roh Moo Hyun was not that bad. Take a look at Chun Doo Hwan who have murdered hundreds of students and yet he still live without (apparently) any guilty consciousness. And plus, it's also that current president Lee Myung Bak isn't that popular either. "If I could lead you into the promised land, i could lead you back out again."