"Who will it be?"
At 6:45 am on May 23, this was the last word left by the former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun in the world.
Following his words, the personal guard turned around to check and prepared to stop a climber from approaching, but unexpectedly, when he turned his head again, he only saw Roh Moo-hyun falling from the back of Owl Rock.
Roh Moo-hyun jumped down from a 45-meter-high cliff. No one can know what kind of state of mind he is in the void with the sound of the wind in his ears.
After stepping down as president last year, Roh Moo-hyun returned to Bongha Village, Gimhae City, Gyeongsangnam-do, where he was born and grew up. Fengxia Village witnessed his poor childhood, physical growth, sweet love, and the judicial examination review that changed his lifelong destiny, and then he became a judge, lawyer, human rights activist, parliamentarian, minister, and president.
The skull was shattered, and the spine and ribs were broken. At 9:30, Pusan National University Hospital announced that Roh Moo-hyun was dead.
His departure was intense and calm.
"Forget about me."
On the one hand, more than 400,000 people went to Fengxia Village to pay homage to Fengxia Village. They needed to queue for several hours to lay flowers. On the other hand, people did not forget that Roh Moo-hyun's political slogan was: "No violations or corruption. The world."
After Roh Moo-hyun's death, there was rain in Gyeongsangnam-do for two consecutive days.
On his personal website "The World Where People Live", on April 22, he left the last line of text: "You forget me!"
Jin Chengzhe, a South Korean student from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Southern Weekend reporter, "Listen When the news of his suicide came, I cried." Jin Chengzhe angrily accused the prosecutor's office of being a "dog of the regime", serving only those in power. "Roh Moo-hyun committed suicide on the surface, but in fact the prosecutor's office did not let him live."
At the end of last year, Park Yuanci, president of "Taekwang Industrial", was investigated by South Korean prosecutors for tax evasion and bribery. On March 31 this year, the South Korean Attorney's Office found out that Park Yuanci had remitted US$5 million to Roh Moo-hyun's niece and son-in-law. Soon, Jeong Sang-moon, the former secretary-general of the Blue House,-Roh Moo-hyun's "General Manager" and childhood playmate, were summoned in connection with the case. "Park Yuanci Gate" was quickly upgraded to "Roh Moo-hyun Gate".
On April 9th, Park Yuanci confessed that at the request of Roh Moo-hyun, he put 1 million US dollars in cash into the bag and handed it to the Blue House through Jung Sang-moon. Later, Roh Moo-hyun and Yang-sook admitted that he had received 1 million U.S. dollars to repay debts.
South Korean media said that it is no wonder that Park Yuanci, relying on "Taekwang Industrial", which produces sneakers, can form a company with "Korea Electric Power" to contract a Vietnamese national power plant with a value of up to 3 billion U.S. dollars. "If he didn't commit a crime, he wouldn't commit suicide, would he?" So thinks Huang Xiuzhen, a student at Pusan University of Foreign Studies.
Therefore, on the one hand, more than 400,000 people went to Fengxia Village to pay homage, and it took several hours to line up to lay flowers. On the other hand, people did not forget that Roh Moo-hyun's political slogan was: "A world without violations and corruption."
On April 30, Roh Moo-hyun went to Seoul to be investigated. Before leaving, he said to the media: "Wuyan faces the citizens, and I am sorry to let you down."
In the 20 years before Roh Moo-hyun, from Chun Doo-hwan to Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung, the family of South Korean presidents after resignation have been affected. Take bribes and be dealt with by justice.
But to the surprise of the Koreans, Roh Moo-hyun, who is known for his integrity, seems to be unable to escape the "first family curse." After that, what waited for Roh Moo-hyun's family and his relatives were the prosecution's repeated summons, the ruthless criticism and cynicism of the media. Roh Moo-hyun had no choice but to stay simple, and stated on his personal website, "I can't get out of the house even one step. My home is a prison."
At 5:50 in the morning on May 23, Roh Moo-hyun walked out of the "prison" quietly. In the computer in front of his desk, the suicide note was last saved 6 minutes ago, and it said: "It's all fate...This is an idea that has been brewing for a long time."
"Look, this high school graduate"
is working on a construction site. Hit in the face and broke 3 teeth. The scars on his lips accompany him for life, even if he had two plastic surgery, it did not remove the mark of the poor life in his early years.
Roh Moo-hyun was first involved in politics in February 1960. In order to commemorate the birthday of the dictator Rhee Seungman, the school asked students to write articles with the title "Our President Rhee Seungman". Lu Moo-hyun, a first-year junior student, stepped up and asked everyone to "not write anything" and organized a "white paper alliance." For this reason, he was punished by the school and suspended for a week.
But only 2 months later, Lee Seung-man was forced to go down the field because of the "April 19th Movement".
In fact, Roh Moo-hyun has almost become an inspirational textbook for Koreans. In 1946, he was born in the impoverished Fengxia Village. The sixth grader Roh Moo-hyun once wrote in his diary: “The thatched house can be turned into a brick house, and the mud wall can be turned into a brick wall. I must realize it.”
After graduating from high school, Roh Moo-hyun failed to enter the university. He worked while working. Self-study judicial examination. At the construction site, he was hit in the face by falling wood and broke 3 teeth. The scars on his lips accompany him throughout his life. Even if he had two cosmetic surgeries before and after he was elected president, removing wrinkles on his forehead, removing eye bags, and cutting double eyelids, he still did not remove the marks of his early life in poverty.
Low education and poor background made him a "person around us" in the eyes of the people at the bottom, and was also ridiculed by some conservatives and vested interests as "soil" and "low quality". Min Guisik, a professor at Hanyang University in South Korea, told our reporter that the mark of the division of the Korean class can be seen in Lu.
For example, Professor Min Guisik said that the current President Lee Myung-bak made a mistake in simple English, and the media said it was "practical English." "But if Roh Moo-hyun uses this kind of English, the media will definitely say, look, this high school graduate! Is he like a president? ? "
in 1975, Roh finally passed the bar exam after two years to become a judge, and eight months later, he opened a law firm in Busan. The initial career as a lawyer was simple and happy: South Korea’s economy had just begun to take off, and Roh Moo-hyun took over a large number of tax and property inheritance cases, earning a lot of money; as an amateur, he was obsessed with sailing and once became the chairman of the local sailing association. After the failure of
"Fool Roh Moo-hyun"
again and again, people began to call him "Fool Roh Moo-hyun".
But Roh Moo-hyun said, "Farmers will not complain about the land."
Had it not been for the surging democratization process in South Korea in the 1980s, Roh Moo-hyun might have always been the "lawyer Ro who makes money and can play." However, the "Bulin Incident" in 1981 unwittingly pushed him onto the stage of national history.
At that time, 22 students in Busan were arrested for the so-called "Left-leaning study." Roh Moo-hyun accidentally joined the defense lawyers as a substitute for others, thus achieving his first "present-day incident defense."
When visiting the students, Roh Moo-hyun received an unspeakable spiritual shock. In his book, Roh Moo-hyun wrote: “The students were so scarred that they couldn’t even believe me as a lawyer, looking at me silently with fearful eyes...how could there be such a thing in the world...because of anger , My mind is in chaos and blood is boiling.”
That night, Roh Moo-hyun said to his wife Quan Yangsuk: “It’s horrible, horrible! Our son will also enter university. This kind of society should never exist.”
From then on, from 1982. The "Bumei Arson Incident", the Busan Democratic Citizens Association Movement in 1985, and the "February Seventh Memorial Service" in 1987, "Lawyer Lu" became an active human rights lawyer and formed a relationship with many students who are committed to national progress. Deep "fighting" friendship. It was the "386 generation (30s, who participated in the student movement in the 1980s and born in the 1960s)" who became the most steadfast supporters of Roh Moo-hyun's political career and the core force of his reforms.
Kim Sung Cheol, a South Korean student, is "386". He told our reporter that in the student movement, when they confronted the police, the police fired tear gas, "Roh Moo-hyun did not run and insisted on standing there."
In 1988, Roh Moo-hyun was elected as a member of the National Assembly and immediately participated in the hearing of the illegal incident of the Chun Doo-hwan government. The hearing was broadcast live on TV and the ratings exceeded 50%. And Roh Moo-hyun gave full play to his lawyer's expertise, and reprimanded the former Security Planning Department Jang Sedong, Hyundai Group Chairman Zheng Zhouyong and others. His generous speeches also deeply moved thousands of viewers, making him a "hearing star" that has swept the country from a rookie in politics.
But after he emerged, Roh Moo-hyun's political experience was not smooth. Since then, he has won only 2 of the 6 elections. This is largely due to his “stubbornness”: He was a principled man who opposed the merger of the three parties and broke with South Korean political giant Kim Young-sam. He also insisted on participating in the election of Busan district councillors outside of his party’s sphere of influence, because he wanted to “break” Regionalism".
After repeated failures, people began to call him "Fool Roh Moo-hyun".
But Roh Moo-hyun said, "Farmers will not complain about the land."
In fact, his “impulsive” style, poor background with no bureaucratic background, and fresh image of refusing corruption are exactly what the South Korean people were seeking for change at the beginning of the new century. Roh Moo-hyun began to receive more and more ordinary people. Especially the support of poor people below the middle class. A large number of fanatical and loyal "fans" also established a club-like organization called "Lu Aihui".
In August 2000, Roh Moo-hyun was appointed Minister of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries by President Kim Dae-jung. When the presidential election two years later, the "Roh Moo-hyun Cyclone" had already blown in South Korea.
At the
inauguration ceremony of the president of “three points, seven points” , Roh Moo-hyun said: “The era of accommodating violations and corruption is over. I hope that social leaders will deeply reflect on it.”
In the 2002 presidential election, Roh Moo-hyun and voters held high the piggy bank. Money bank. Roh Moo-hyun fiercely criticized the old politicians as "corrupted privileged class", and the image of incorruptible rejection of political donations from financial groups has almost become his best political business card.
In the end, Roh Moo-hyun defeated all his opponents with 48.9% of the votes and was elected the 16th president of South Korea.
In February 2003, at the inauguration ceremony of the president, Roh Moo-hyun said: “The era of accommodating violations and corruption is over. I hope that social leaders will deeply reflect on it.” At that time, no one would have thought that Roh Moo-hyun would make his pledge a few years later. Footnotes on the reverse side.
Like many leaders with a fresh image, Roh Moo-hyun found that the real problem is not in elections, but in governance. "Incorruptibility" cannot solve all problems. Professor Min Guisik of Hanyang University said, “Roh Moo-hyun places great emphasis on ethics, but he may not have thought about how to govern the country...”
In 2003, the total number of credit cards issued in South Korea exceeded 100 million, which also triggered a consumer credit bubble and The rapid expansion of bad financial debts, and gradually fell into the quagmire of recession. In desperation, Roh Moo-hyun admitted that the government's policy had failed.
Roh Moo-hyun has spared no effort to promote Kim Dae-jung's "sunshine policy" and strive to promote North-South reconciliation. Proponents of Lu believe that this has allowed the smooth development of North-South relations, but opponents of Lu believe that he is too pro-North Korea, and even said that he should "transport his body to North Korea" after the news of his suicide.
As for the overall evaluation of Roh Moo-hyun’s five-year rule, Han Suk-hee, assistant professor at Yonsei University, believes that “30% is positive and 70% is negative”.
In fact, Roh Moo-hyun’s victory is an atypical case in the history of South Korea’s constitutional government. Instead of relying on the support of Samsung and Hyundai and other large consortia, he relied on the power of numerous small and medium-sized enterprises and the lower-class people. The excessive reliance on public opinion has caused numerous obstacles to the cooperation between the Rwanda government and large consortia, and has also greatly increased people's expectations of the government's cleanliness.
However, at the same time, the market economy system dominated by the government has not changed, and the problems of "combination of politics with business" and "business with superior governance" cannot be solved overnight. When the corporate world’s mentality of clinging to the powerful meets the “imperial president” power that lacks checks and balances, corruption has almost become the cancer of every South Korean government. Even if Roh Moo-hyun himself is “anti-cancer”, it is difficult to protect the people around him from being corrupted. "Due to the influence of traditional Confucian ethics and culture, in Korean democratic politics, the imprints of family, blood and geopolitics are very obvious." Yu Yingli, an expert on Korean issues at the Shanghai Institute of International Studies, told the Southern Weekend reporter, "In this regard, This has led to the prevalence of favors and nepotism, which breeds corruption. On the other hand, it will also bring about tragic and irrational political struggles between parties.”
And Dr. Zheng Jiyong from the Center for Korean Studies at Fudan University also told our reporter that there is a political system in South Korea. This is a “black or white, right or wrong” party culture. The opposition party always unconditionally opposes the ruling party, and the ruling party will also “settle the accounts after the fall” of the predecessor.
In addition to the inextricability of gang politics, the genes for political hatred and political revenge left over from decades of military dictatorship have also faintly fermented from time to time.
Therefore, since the day Roh Moo-hyun came to power, what is waiting for him is probably an ending that he himself could not predict.
"I'm stuck in an abyss where I can't get out."
However, Roh Moo-hyun is precisely such a "crane-like person" in the eyes of friends who has a strong political cleanliness.
The unique feature of the South Korean president is that his term of office is as long as five years, but he cannot be re-elected. Professor Min Guizhi of Hanyang University said that the lack of continuity of policies directly caused the president's administration to become extremely difficult three years later. "Officials are not obedient, and the people are tired of the president."
At the beginning of 2008, the Koreans almost sent off Roh Moo-hyun away with drums and gongs. The following President Lee Myung-bak denied all Roh Moo-hyun's domestic and foreign policies almost without any suspense.
At this time, cleanliness has almost become Roh Moo-hyun's only political product that can support him. No matter how opponents label Roh Moo-hyun's government as "incompetent", no one has ever denied his integrity. Even when he was criticized, Roh Moo-hyun would use "Fortunately, we are very clean" to comfort his subordinates and himself.
It wasn't until Park Yuanji's case revealed that Roh Moo-hyun was corrupt, until the "only" millions of dollars brought the incomparable surprise of the people who had supported him, and until Roh Moo-hyun fell into despair that he could not redeem.
The "retaliation theory" is circulating in South Korea. Moon Gyutae, a Chinese student at Pusan University of Foreign Studies in South Korea, said: “During that time, half of the time in the TV news was about Roh Moo-hyun’s bribery. Is it too hyped?”
However, Roh Moo-hyun is precisely such a friend with a strong political cleanliness. "Crane-like people" in the eyes. When the democracy and cleanliness he worked hard for all his life, the democracy and cleanliness that he was chanting for became an irony to himself, what kind of anxiety and torture did Roh Moo-hyun endure in his heart?
"Now I am Roh Moo-hyun is no longer a symbol of the value that everyone is pursuing... I have fallen into the abyss that I can't come out. You can't fall into this trap. You should abandon me." He said on his website.
He gave up on himself first, eventually.
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