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NAM Round Table
The NAM Round Table consists of news, insights, visions, ramblings and rants from the writers at New America Media.
I woke this morning to a text message on my phone – “Roh Moo-hyun is dead.” It was from a colleague who had interviewed the former South Korean president about a year ago at his residence in the southern city of Gimhae. Roh was growing organic rice. At 6:30 in the morning, Saturday, the 23rd of May, under steely skies Roh, 62, left his residence with a security detail to go hiking in the hills above his home. His last words were reportedly to ask for a cigarette before jumping from a 30 meter high cliff. He died hours later of severe head injuries at a hospital in the southern city of Busan. It is truly unbelievable … first was shock, then anger and now a whole lot of confusion. South Korea is going to go through what a family does when it loses a relative to suicide. There is already talk of rioting as Roh’s death threatens to explode deep political fissures here … crowds have gathered in front of Seoul’s city hall with scuffles being reported between police and flag-waving protesters. President Lee Myung-bak is going to have to tread extremely carefully, especially as his government has recently cracked down on “illegal street rallies” – there are going to be a whole lot of them in the coming days I suspect and the administration will have to weild a very light hand in dealing with the outpouring of emotion. Roh and his family had become engulfed in a scandal involving some $6 million in bribes from a local businessman. The ongoing probe had already landed his elder brother and a close confidante behind bars. The last posting on his Web site just prior to being grilled for ten hours by prosecutors read, “You should now discard me.” Reports say the prosecution suspended its bribery probe into Roh minutes after reports of his death emerged, which makes one wonder whether this was the real motivation behind Roh’s act – to protect his family from further prosecution. I for one am inclined to believe this, given the fact that the prosecution vowed recently to intensify its probe into Roh’s family. Roh must have been aware that with his death national sentiment would become too volatile for the prosecution to press on. It is now up to the country to come to grips with his death. Yet rather than allow for a national mourning the accusations are already beginning to fly, with the left accusing the incumbent government of driving the self-taught human rights lawyer and liberal icon to his death. Such talk, sadly, is going to perpetuate the same cycle of political backbiting that partially led to Roh’s death in the first place. For as with all suicides, this highly personal decision leaves behind very public scars in a society where wounds tend to linger and deepen with time. comments |
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Dear Editor:
The news on the suicide of the former South Korean president Mr. Rho is a shocking and a saddest story.
1. He was a great man to be the president of the country constantly under the threat of the communists from such a humble background. We admire him for his remarkable achievement as an individual Korean with a humble background.
2. His attempt to reconcile with the ignorant North is also admirable up to a certain point.
3. It is very sad that such a good man did not have a stronger, cleaner conscience to fight against the false accusations if any and tell to the people clearly as it is whether his administration was corrupt or not. For people still have questions on the matters.
4. As reports indicate his family received many bribes that should be cleared too for his honor even after his death and in honor of the Korean people for whom millions lost their lives to fight against communist aggressors.
5. If his dead closes the investigation, it means the family got the free money if any.
leave after his life.We do not believe that is a good impression that any family member wants to
6. Now his children and Mrs. Roh courageously, openly announce before a clergy.
what they know or not, what they did and whether or not they were on the wrong tract to reveal their sincerity and honor of the loved one now in another world.7. Surrender all the illegally gained assets, if any, to the public and make apology to the people and before God. Then God will bless you again abundantly.
Chae S. Sone and family
9. Creating a cleaner society, we can honor the late president who vividly demonstrated his unbearable guilty feelings in pain to his loved people although it was too harsh for the people to bear it softly.
In this way, I wish to pay my respect to him.
God bless the surviving families and the saddened Korean people. For better days are coming for us all. Member that Korean people are hard working and smart.
8. It is the right way to honor the late president Moo Hyun Roh who worked so hard for his own success for the people but, unfortunately was soiled by the dirty politics that we must try to clean up – in a degree, many thoughtful political leaders and common people in Korea should bear a grave responsibility allowing impermissible political immoralities in the society.
By chae s. sone · Posted on May 23, 10:20 PMIn my opinion South Korea lost a man with courage; but fritened to finsh his responsibility. Responsibility,I think, is not compounded in an office only. If people said he cleaner, he would show his passionate deed. Related to this what I want to figurout and please to underlined is that South Koreans, especially parents should think and creat open discussion on suicide.It does’t matter to erase the word ‘suicide’ from dictionary if we can’t controle and protect sucidal tendencies and suicide it self. If we agree to remove it from dictionary I assured you that we will face a big problem to discus on ‘suicide’ to find solution. We have to remind that sucide is number one deadly occassion as it is shown in different reports and stastical datas.
By Selam · Posted on May 25, 06:39 AMThis really a bad news I hope this may not occur again .,
By California Orange Country Lawyer · Posted on Jun 25, 07:56 PM