(EDITORIAL from the Korea Herald on May 25)

Doubly saddening

The sudden death of former President Roh Moo-hyun came as a shock not just to his
earnest supporters but to all Koreans. It was deeply saddening to hear the news
that he jumped off a cliff on a mountain near his home in South Gyeongsang
Province.

It is a no-brainer to guess why he chose to end his own life early Saturday
morning. Roh, who had professed to be a principled man, presumably could not
stand the sense of humiliation he felt as he watched his moral high ground
chipped away by a criminal investigation into a corruption scandal involving the
former president and his family.
He said he did not take money from businessman Park Yeon-cha, one of his staunch
backers, while he was in office. Instead, he told prosecutors that his wife took
the money and that he was not in the know at the time.
Now there is no way to prove his innocence because he took his own life and the
prosecutors have ended their investigation for good. Nonetheless, deep sympathy
goes out to an agonizing Roh, who reportedly said in the suicide note he left:
"Many have suffered too much because of me ... I cannot read nor write ... Aren't
life and death a piece of nature?"
There is no knowing how history will evaluate the performance of the human rights
lawyer-turned politician. But despite his foibles, he contributed greatly to
advancing Korean politics.
First of all, he should be given due credit for devolving the power that was
concentrated in the presidency, which was often referred to as "imperial." He
made good on his promise not to rely on powerful government agencies, such as the
National Intelligence Service, the National Tax Service, the prosecutors' office
and the police, to tighten his grip on power.
Unlike some of his predecessors, he did not seek any secret information on his
political adversaries from the spy agency. Nor did he order a tax audit out of
vengeance. Instead of attempting to put prosecutors under his control, he
maintained rather strained relations with them.
Moreover, it is fair to say that elections were made less costly because he and
his party did not rely on chaebol as the main contributors of political funds.
Institutional changes were also made to lower electoral costs during his
five-year presidency.
Roh had his political blemishes as well. For instance, he deserted the political
party that had elected him to the presidency and formed a new party with his
supporters. He also had his presidency suspended for two months after the
National Assembly voted to impeach him for a minor breach of the election law.
The verdict was overturned by the Constitutional Court.
While leaving behind all these achievements and mistakes as his legacies, Roh
made himself part of the tragic history of Korean presidents when he took his own
life. That is doubly saddening.
Of his eight predecessors, the first president's life ended in exile, one was
killed by his own spy chief, two were forced out of office, another two sent to
prison and the last two had their sons imprisoned for corruption. What brought
all this misfortune to them all and, finally, to Roh?
It cannot be a mere coincidence that all the presidents had one type of tragedy
or another during their presidency or after leaving office. Even more
disheartening is that tragedy continues though it is long since democracy
replaced authoritarianism.
Does the Korean presidency have a built-in flaw? Does the adage saying "power
corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" have any implication? If so,
the nation will have to make institutional improvements as a solution to the
problem as soon as possible.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
(END)