While his bribery case was still under investigation, former South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun died suddenly, shocking the entire world. As it stands, the South Korean authorities have not yet ascertained the cause of Roh's death. If it is finally confirmed that he jumped to his death from a cliff however, then Roh will become the first South Korean president in history to have committed suicide for allegedly taking bribes.
Why did he choose to end his life?
There is already sufficient trouble in the world that with the exception of South Korean residents, this former president's political bribery scandal would not have attracted special attention were it not for such an astonishing act. Moreover, according to available information, while Roh admitted and apologized for this family's wrongdoing, he insisted on his own innocence, and the amount of money involved in the case was not notably large.
Director of the Center for Korean Studies at Fudan University Shi Yuanhua said the idea that "death brings everything to an end" epitomizes Roh's state of mind when he chose to end his life. He said, by reading between the lines, Roh's suicide note revealed his misanthropic mood. Roh, who as a lawyer was familiar with the law, clearly understood that the investigation would be terminated upon his death.
Liu Jiangyong, a professor at the Institute of International Studies at Tsinghua University, said it was the dual pressure of moral torture and legal investigation that forced Roh to commit suicide. As he pointed out, the suicide note shows Roh, as a politician, was extremely sober and perfectly clear about the disputes his death may trigger.
Director of the Center for Korean Peninsula Studies at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Liu Ming said that Roh was left with no other choice, and he bore the extreme pressure of daily media reports about him. Another major reason is the fact that the reality stood in stark contrast to his own perfectionist requirements. "The long-term goal Roh pursued was incorruptibility, but ironically many of his subordinates and family members have been embroiled in scandals."
Remarkable political achievements
Fairly speaking, from his impoverished rural roots to self-taught human rights lawyer, and finally leader of South Korea's political community where top-level qualifications and background are a necessity, Roh is a role model for grass roots practice. During his time in office, his political achievements were remarkable.
In respect of the economy and livelihood of the people, Roh was committed to reviving South Korea's economy, successively realizing four percent annual GDP growth for a number of years. In foreign policy, his talent for diplomacy was widely acknowledged, and he properly handled relations between South Korea and foreign powers.
In the North-South relations issue especially, he not only maintained the "Sunshine Policy" adopted by his predecessor Kim Dae-jung, but also added his own distinctive character. In 2007, he made the historic move of becoming South Korea's first president to cross the 38th Parallel north.
His policy toward North Korea was in sharp contrast to the stubborn, hard-line policy of the existing Lee Myung-bak administration. Thereafter, North-South relations enjoyed unprecedented ease, creating a favorable environment for South Korea's economic development.
Unable to escape political collusion
Examining Roh's death in the context of the lineage of almost a century of political history in South Korea, it is not only a personal tragedy for Roh Moo-hyun, but also a tragedy for South Korea's political environment which is making a shift towards democratization from previous military regimes.
Looking back over South Korea's previous presidents, Roh is not the first having left office either to be sentenced for accepting illegal money, or had their reputations tarnished in later years because their relatives were involved in corruption scandals.
Former Presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo were incarcerated on bribery charges, Kim Young-sam's son was imprisoned for corruption and the reputation of Kim Dai-jun's son was stained by bribery. All the scandals involving presidents relate to money.
Shi Yuanhua regards these incidents as South Korea's political "cancer." The nature and scope of Roh's case is more complicated than that of Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, and involved more people.
Unpredictable political influence
Roh's death is like "a tossed stone raising a thousand ripples" in South Korea's political community and society. Ultimately, how significant is his influence, and how long will it last?
Shi pointed out that Roh's death will certainly cause intense political turmoil in South Korea. When he took office, Roh was favored and supported by young and lower class citizens, and still has a group of faithful and staunch supporters to this day. In terms of political factions, Roh stood as a "spiritual leader" for progressive politics in confrontation with conservative politics.
His death will ignite the discontent of the progressive forces against the current conservative administration, resulting in increased conflict between the ruling and opposition parties, and significantly challenging Lee Myung-bak's administration.
Liu Jiangyong said that Roh's death will temporarily put an end to the bribery scandal, but in the long run the case may "ferment" in the future, and even become the a political tool during the presidential election, thus influencing South Korea's future political situation.
Liu Ming believes that the short term response to Roh's death will be relatively large as he was, after all an influential state leader and had a group of loyal supporters. It will not have a significant impact on the political situation however.
"Firstly, the innocence of Roh's family members is a problem, as Roh himself admitted. More importantly, there is currently an urgent need for South Korea to solve a number of important issues including those relating to the domestic economy and North-South relations.
By People's Daily Online
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