(Yearender) Deaths of national leaders trigger grief, but also unity in S. Korea

By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Dec. 20 (Yonhap) -- With the deaths of a prominent religious leader and
two former presidents, including South Korea's only Nobel peace prize winner,
2009 could be said to be a year of loss for the country.
When Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, the country's first Roman Catholic cardinal, died on
February the 16th, the nation mourned the passing of an iconic figure long
respected for his role in the country's tumultuous transition to democracy.
Few expected that within less than half a year, former presidents Roh Moo-hyun
and Kim Dae-jung would add to the hole left by his death. Roh's suicide and Kim's
death on May 23 and Aug. 18, respectively, triggered a spasm of mourning
unrivaled in recent South Korean history.
"These deaths may have been more shocking to people especially because they came
as the country was suffering from the financial crisis," said social analyst Kim
Bong-june. "But people were able to emotionally unite, I think, because it was
such a dark time in terms of the economy... In a way, the three spoke for the
less privileged in society."
Cardinal Kim, who had taken a special spot in the South Korean people's hearts as
a tireless fighter for democracy and human rights under oppressive military
dictatorships, inspired a mood of generosity through his death by displaying a
last act of selflessness in donating his eyes to two patients.
Kim, ordained by Pope Paul VI in 1969, was respected by Catholics and
non-Catholics alike not only as a man of deep faith, but also an ardent supporter
of democracy who unreservedly stood up against the authoritarian governments that
reigned here from the 1960s through the 80s.
During his sermons, Kim often outspokenly criticized the governments of Park
Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan for suppressing student activists and labor unions,
and gave sanctuary to dozens of anti-government student activists at a central
Seoul cathedral in 1987.
The late cardinal had pledged to donate his organs as early as 1990, desiring to
"give everything and leave with nothing."
The number of pledged organ donors increased by nearly six-fold following the
cardinal's death, reaching 137,000 people as of early December, according to the
Korean Organ Donor Program.
The number is more than twice the 58,000 pledged organ donors in South Korea last
year, a rare phenomenon in South Korea where societal mores and laws have been
shaped by Confucian ideals that call for preserving and honoring the body.
"The cardinal's death made me realize two things: How it is important to lead a
giving life and how it is also important to die gracefully," said college student
Jeong Jae-young, who had signed up as a future organ donor after Kim's death in
February.
The late President Roh, who served as South Korea's president from 2003 to 2008,
leapt to his death while being investigated over allegations that he and his
family received at least US$6 million in bribes from a businessman while in
office. The accusation had largely tarnished his legacy as an anti-corruption
fighter.
While the incident drove the whole nation into a mood of sadness, it also
triggered controversy as Roh was the only president in South Korean history to
end his own life.
"Experiencing the president they voted for leaping to death, society was overcome
with pity and regret, and a desire for a happier president, society and nation,"
said social analyst Kim.
Millions paid their respects at altars set up nationwide for weeks after his
death, expressing grief and regret at his tragic end.
The death of former president Kim Dae-jung, Roh's immediate predecessor, came
less than three months after Roh's death, adding to the mood of national sadness.

Kim, a lifelong mentor of Roh, served as president from 1998 through 2003, laying
the groundwork for a decade of liberal rule that focused on eradicating the
vestiges of authoritarianism and stabilizing democracy.
Throughout his life, Kim stood firmly before the international community on
issues of human rights and rapprochement with North Korea. He believed in
engaging the isolated state rather than pressuring it, an approach that sometimes
ran counter to the United States.
For such effort, Kim became Korea's first and so far only Nobel Peace Prize
winner in 2000. His so-called "sunshine" police of engaging North Korea was also
supported by the Roh government but abandoned by the incumbent government of
President Lee Myung-bak.
"In a way, the deaths of the two former presidents brought out the emotional,
more human side in everyone," said Prof. Yoo Jae-il of Daejeon University School
of Politics and Journalism. "No one really wants to see a sad and unhappy
president. People were led to realize how national leaders are also just weak
human beings. With the deaths of these leaders, the atmosphere of embracing and
understanding prevailed in this society."
hayney@yna.co.kr
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