Roh Moo-hyun
President of South Korea from 2003 to 2008
Roh Moo-hyun (Korean: 노무현, pronounced [no muçʌn]; 1 September 1946 – 23 May 2009) was a South Korean politician and attorney who served as the ninth President of South Korea from 2003 to 2008.2
From Wikipedia’s article on Roh Moo-hyun (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Born Sep 1, 1946, died May 23, 2009.1
About
Roh's 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, which aided his success in the presidential election. Roh's election was notable for the arrival in power of a new generation of Korean politicians, the so-called 386 Generation (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 United States. Roh himself was the first South Korean president to be born after the end of Japanese rule in Korea.
South Korea received the highest marks on the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index under his administration. The value of the South Korean won against the US dollar was the strongest during his administration since 1997. Due to the strong currency, for the first time in history, South Korea became the world's 10th largest economy and exceeded the $20,000 milestone in nominal GDP per capita during his administration. In 2007, he met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang. However, despite high expectations at the beginning of his presidency, Roh encountered strong opposition from both the opposition conservative Grand National Party and media, and he was frequently accused of incompetence. As a result, many of Roh's policies, such as a plan to move the capital of Seoul and a plan to form a coalition with the opposition, made little progress. Because of his poor performance in economy and diplomacy, Roh was not a popular president, having the worst approval rating on average ever recorded in South Korean political history.
After leaving office, Roh returned to his hometown of Bongha Maeul. He ran a duck farm and lived an ordinary life, sharing it through his blog. He also ran a website called "Democracy 2.0" to promote healthy online discussions. Fourteen months later, Roh was suspected of bribery by prosecutors, and the subsequent investigations attracted public attention. Roh committed suicide on 23 May 2009 when he jumped from a mountain cliff behind his home, after saying that "there are too many people suffering because of me" on a suicide note on his computer. About 4 million people visited Roh's hometown Bongha Village in the week following his death. His suicide was confirmed by police. Prosecutor General Lim Chae-jin resigned due to growing public criticism following Roh's death. Public opinion on Roh has improved considerably since his death, which has taken into account his human rights background and national economic progress during his presidency. In a 2019 Gallup Korea poll, Roh was cited as the most popular president in South Korean history amongst the general public.
From Wikipedia’s article on Roh Moo-hyun, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2
Companies
Early life and education
- Date not recordedGaesung High School3
- Date not recordedJinyeong Daechang Elementary School3
- Date not recordedJinyeong Middle School3
Roh was born into a poor farming family on 1 September 1946, in Pongha near Gimhae and Pusan, in what is now southeastern South Korea. His parents had three boys and two girls, and Roh was the youngest of his family. In 1953, he entered Dae Chang Elementary School. He received high grades, but was quite often absent from school to assist his parents. While in sixth grade, with the encouragement of his school teacher, he became the president of the school. As he entered Jin-yeong middle school, a writing contest was held to commemorate Syngman Rhee's birthday. Roh tried to start a student movement against it, but was caught and suspended from the school.
Roh Moo-Hyun decided to become a lawyer due to the influence of his elder brother who had studied law but had died in a car accident. Roh had to study the bar exam in his own in 1975 (South Korea does not currently require bar examinees to have graduated from college, university, or law school).
From Wikipedia’s article on Roh Moo-hyun (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Career
Occupation: judge, farmer, lawyer, politician, inventor.5
Personal life
- BornSep 1, 1946, Bongha Village6
- DiedMay 23, 2009, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital7
- CitizenshipThird Republic of South Korea, Second Republic of South Korea, South Korea, Fifth Republic of South Korea, First Republic of South Korea, Fourth Republic of South Korea8
- SpouseKwon Yang-sook 1972 to 20099
Politics
Roh entered politics in 1988 when he was invited by Kim Young-sam to join the Reunification Democratic Party (통일민주당). That same year, he was elected as a member of the National Assembly, representing Dong District, Busan. He came to wider public attention with his cross-examination of the government over political corruption allegations in a parliamentary hearing.
In 1990, Kim Young-sam merged his party with the Democratic Justice Party to form the Democratic Liberal Party, a forerunner of the Grand National Party. Roh did not participate in the party and he criticized it as "betrayal against the democracy movement".
In 1991, before the election of the national assembly, the Weekly Chosun posted an article that alleging that Roh was a politician with hidden wealth. Roh sued the company for defamation and won, but lost the election for his seat.
Having lost his seat in the 1992 Assembly elections, he later ran for the mayorship of Busan in 1995, where he lost again. Shortly after the election, Kim Dae-jung founded the National Congress for New Politics, but Roh did not join. In 1996, he ran for the Assembly seat for Jongno District, Seoul, losing to another future president, Lee Myung-bak.
Roh founded the new party with Lee Bu-Yeong, Lee Chul, Kim Won-Gi, and Kim Jeong-Gil, but before the presidential election, after the New Korea Party merged with the United Democratic Party, he decided to reconcile with Kim Dae-jung to 'bring the military government and their political heir into justice'.
Subsequently, Roh reconciled with Kim when he endorsed his candidacy in the 1997 Presidential election. At the meeting, Kim Dae-jung welcomed Roh and his party saying "Today is a very pleasant day. That pleasure is not only because we now work together, but also because I could relieve a burden in my mind that I have been carrying (since we separated)." Roh returned to office in 1998, when Lee Myung-bak resigned his seat because of a violation of election law, winning a seat in the ensuing by-election.
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National Assembly campaign
In 2000, Roh ran for the National Assembly representing Buk-gu and Gangseo-gu in Busan as part of a campaign to overcome regionalism in Korean politics, but was defeated. His defeat in the election, however, proved fortuitous when his supporters formed Nosamo, the first political fan club in Korea. His supporters were inspired by his commitment to overcoming regionalism.
From Wikipedia’s article on Roh Moo-hyun (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Legal issues and controversies
Legal career
After passing the bar exam he became a regional judge in Daejeon in 1977, but quit only a year later deciding to became a lawyer.
In 1981, he defended students who had been tortured for suspicion of possession of contraband literature. Following this he decided to become a human rights lawyer. In early 2003, he was quoted as saying, "After that defense, my life was totally changed. At first, even I couldn't believe that they had been tortured that harshly. However, when I saw their horrified eyes and their missing toenails, my comfortable life as a lawyer came to an end. I became a man that wanted to make a difference in the world." With fellow human rights lawyers, he pointed out that this case was forged, then claimed that the National Security Act (South Korea) itself should be judged.
In 1985 he started to participate in civic movements by assuming permanent power of attorney on behalf of the Busan council of citizen democracy. He opposed the autocratic regime in place at the time in South Korea, and participated in the pro-democracy June Democracy Movement in 1987 against Chun Doo-hwan. The same year he was jailed while investigating the cause of death of the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering factory worker Lee Seok-Kyu, who had been killed by a stray police tear gas bullet while on strike during the Great Workers' Struggle. Roh was accused of 'unapproved interference in the case' and 'hindering the funeral'. Although he was released in twenty days because of public opinion against the arrest, his lawyer's license was revoked after the incident in political retribution. His lawyer's license was reinstated and he, along with Chun Jung Bae and Im Jong In, founded Haemaru Law firm.
Roh was baptized as a Catholic (baptismal name: Justin) in 1986 but then lapsed while continuing to identify as a Catholic, though later years he was non-religious while practicing a form of Mahayana Buddhism.
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Bribery allegations
On 4 December 2008, Roh Moo-hyun's elder brother, Roh Gun-Pyeong, was indicted on charges of illegally taking 3 million won ($3,000) from former Daewoo Engineering & Construction and imprisoned.
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 President's family and aides, eventually leading to the indictment of Roh's elder brother Roh Gun-Pyeong on suspicion of influence peddling. The investigation soon expanded to encompass Roh Moo-Hyun's aides, as well as other members of his family. As the investigation closed in on Roh's former secretary, Chung Sang-Moon, Roh announced 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 Roh's wife, son, and eventually the former president himself on suspicion of receiving 1 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."
Kang Kum-won was another Roh's long time supporter whose business was under thorough investigation by The Supreme Prosecutors' Office (SPO). Even if Kang was Roh's closest long time supporter, he did not expand his business during Roh's presidency to avoid unnecessary suspicion of special benefits. However, his parole was denied during the investigation despite his terminal illness of brain cancer until Roh's death.
Roh's investigation for corruption came after he had campaigned on pledges to "clean up the presidency", and root out corruption, while condemning his opponents as hopelessly corrupt.
In one speech to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Korea's "June Struggle" for democracy, Roh vehemently attacked critics who described him as incompetent, stating, "They even deal out the absurd rhetoric that they would rather have a corrupt administration than an inept one while openly revealing their true colors as forces of corruption and the security-driven dictatorships of the past. What's more, they label the democratic forces as being inept, plotting to rise to power on the back of the nostalgia for the development-oriented dictatorships of the past."
Roh's characteristically self-righteous stance resulted in harsh condemnation of the ex-President for hypocrisy. In response to the pervasive criticism upon Roh's bribery charges, he stated on his website, "I have lost my moral cause just with the facts I have so far admitted. The only thing left is the legal procedure". Roh further added, "What I have to do now is bow to the nation and apologize. From now on, the name Roh cannot be a symbol of the values you pursue. I'm no longer qualified to speak about democracy and justice.... You should abandon me." Despite these appeals, Roh continued to deny all knowledge of the receipt of money by his family from Park Yeon-Cha, in contradiction to Park's testimony. Roh refused cross-examination with Park.
In contrast to scandals involving previous presidents, who reportedly used illicit funds close to $500 million to finance political campaigns and their family activities, Roh's family had to use borrowed funds close to $1.5 million from a friend for personal use, such as the payment of living expenses for study in the United States.
From Wikipedia’s article on Roh Moo-hyun (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Awards
- 2007Collar of the Spanish Order of the Civil Merit10
- 2007Knight of the Order of the Elephant10
- 2004Order of the White Eagle (Third Polish Republic)10
- Date not recordedGrand Order of Mugunghwa10
- Date not recordedKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath10
- Date not recordedNational Order of Merit10
- Date not recordedOrder of Civil Merit10
- Date not recordedOrder of Independence10
- Date not recordedOrder of the Bath10
- Date not recordedOrder of the National Flag, 1st class10
Links
Sources
The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.
- 1WikidataRoh Moo-hyun on Wikidata
- 2WikipediaRoh Moo-hyun on Wikipedia
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- 10WikidataRoh Moo-hyun: award, on Wikidata
- 11WikidataRoh Moo-hyun: IMDb, on Wikidata
- 12Wikidata영농법인 봉하마을, Founder
- 13Wikimedia CommonsRoh Moo-hyun photo by 대한민국 국가기록원, KOGL Type 1