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| Lee Myung-bak's Political Revenge Killed Roh Moo-hyun |
| His suicide was his final resistance 'End this with my death' |
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Oh Yeon-ho (cloudatlas)  |
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Published 2009-05-26 09:16 (KST) |
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| This is a translation of an article authored by Oh Yeon-ho and the original Korean article can be found here. <Editor's Note> |
Idiot, he was an idiot to the last. (Roh Moo-hyun was affectionately known as "Idiot Roh Moo-hyun" because of his unswerving principles - ed.)
On the way to Bongha village to pay my respects, I turn over special news reports on former President Roh Moo-hyun's death. Who killed Roh Moo-hyun?
One netizen posted the following statement on the homepage of the Blue House (Korea's White House - ed.) after he learned of President Roh's death:
"President Lee Myung-bak, are you satisfied now."
It was exactly what I wanted to say. President Lee Myung-bak, do you now feel satisfied?
 | |  Newly inaugurated President Lee Myung-bak and former President Roh Moo-hyun on Feb 25, 2008 wave to crowds following the Inauguration Ceremony in front of the Korean Legislative Assembly. | | | ©2008 Internet Photo Cooperative | |
Heights of hypocrisy...honorable treatment dealt to a former president, only upon his death
Lee Myung-bak's political revenge had finally pushed Roh Moo-hyun to his death.
President Lee Myung-bak said that former President Roh Moo-hyun's suicide caused "great sorrow and bitterness." And Lee told his staff to "treat him with solemn dignity befitting the honor of a former president." A page was created on the Blue House website to show mourning.
Only in death, does a President receive honorable treatment. But even that "honor in death" were only words uttered by the Blue House spokesperson. Scenes from the heart of Seoul, show the heights of their hypocrisy.
Late evening of May 23 as reports of Roh's death came in, citizens took their children to pay their respects at the memorial alters set-up in front of Deoksu Palace. But police had barricaded the perimeter of the memorial alters and blocked citizens from entering the area. A man in his fifties, crying, protested against the police chief.
"Is this the kind of respect you show a deceased President? Is this is even human?"
The police chief answered.
"Do we have a choice? We're only doing what we've been told to do."
The police buses barricaded not only Deoksu Palace but also around the entire public square of City Hall. Dozens of police officers were seen taking naps within the public plaza, blocked-off from entry.
Former President Roh Moo-hyun, who more than any other President had wanted to live among his fellow citizens, had passed away and the people had come out to remember him with their flowers and prayers but the Lee Myung-bak government had acted so despicably to separate Roh Moo-hyun, even in death, with the people. Is this sorrow? Is that acting with honor?
Humiliation of Roh Moo-hyun at the hands of the prosecutors, why didn't President Lee Myung-bak stop them?
There was opportunity. If President Lee Myung-bak truly wanted to treat a former president with honor, then why did he not raise a single problem with the investigation of Roh Moo-hyun by the prosecutors?
The allegation was that former President Roh Moo-hyun and his family received US$6.4 million and two expensive watches from Yeon-cha Park, former chairman of Taegwang group. But even before the allegations were proven to have merit, prosecutors used every tool of pressure and humiliation at their disposal, to end Roh Moo-hyun's political career.
Every day, the prosecutors leaked "special information" to the ChoJoongDong (Korea's 3 conservative dailies - ed.), conservative media and broadcasters and heightened media coverage. Even former President Kim Dae-jung blamed them: "I believe Roh could not bear the anxiety and pressure caused by the daily suspicious allegations against his whole family leaked by the prosecutors to the media."
The prosecutors accused former President Roh of lying and kept him for additional questioning. They investigated and questioned him past midnight. These actions were not the actions of showing respect to a former President. It was humiliation.
Even a current staff prosecutor reported to Hangyoreh that "there were opinions among prosecutors that because of the long friendship and relationship between former Chairman Park and former President Roh, it would be difficult to construe their behaviour as bribery" and that "it must have hurt former President Roh greatly that every allegation and suspicion was leaked daily, as if he were some common criminal." (as reported by Hangyoreh on May 24)
But as President Roh Moo-hyun was humiliated day and night, did President Lee Myung-bak or the Minister of Justice raise any problems with the prosecutors? They must have enjoyed the process.
Majority of the Korean people believe that the chief instigator of Roh Moo-hyun's investigation is President Lee Myung-bak. Is it possible for a Chief Prosecutor to decide on an investigation of a former President? It is an extremely political decision that can not be made without the approval of President Lee Myung-bak. The chief objective of the investigation of Roh Moo-hyun was to kill Roh Moo-hyun politically and the chief investigator was not Chae-jin Lim, Chief Prosecutor, but President Lee. After all this, he wants to show sorrow?
There is one measuring stick to see if President Lee's sorrow is genuine. He says that he intends to go to Bongha village to pay his respects. But his 'respects', in any form, would only be an act of hypocrisy.
'I'm sorry. I killed former President Roh Moo-hyun.'
 | | | President Lee Myung-bak returns to his seat following his inauguration speech. Former President Roh Moo-hyun claps in response. | | | ©2008 Internet Photo Cooperative | |
Roh Moo-hyun's suicide was his final act of resistance 'End this with my death'
Former President Roh Moo-hyun took his own life. But it not only an act of suicide. It was his final act of resistance. Look at his last words.
"I have burdened too many people.
Many people have suffered too much because of me.
I can't imagine what they will suffer in the future."
If he continued to live, everyone around him would remain the target of the prosecutors' investigations. Roh Moo-hyun's suicide was 'End this with my death.'
But it was not only those politicians close to Roh Moo-hyun who have died or are dying because of Lee Myung-bak's government.
The tragedy at Yongsan showed what this government does to society's poor and weak. The arrest of blogger Minerva showed how this government is so boldly killing democracy's fundamental freedom of expression. Despite the court's repeated dismissals of arrest warrants for Yeol Choi, head of Korea's Environment Foundation, the continued efforts to arrest him showed how this government is fervently intent on finding faults with NGOs. Recent examples to destroy progressive leaders include the ousting of Ji-woo Hwang, president of Korean National University of Arts, and dismissal of Yeon-joo Jung, CEO of KBS.
The killing of Roh Moo-hyun is tied to the killing of progressive reformist powers in Korea. What is deeply regrettable is the re-emergence of the National Security Agency (Korea's CIA, tool of former authoritarian juntas - ed.), an agency that had seemed to find its rightful position in the past ten years of democratic rule, to once again interfere in politics, civil society and business to aid in the efforts to kill progressive elements in Korea.
Who killed Roh Moo-hyun? The people who came to pay their respects at Bongha village on May 24, had these same questions. On this day only, about 200,000 people came. For 30 minutes a sudden shower downpoured on the guests but the procession did not falter. As I waited for 40 minuteswith the visitors, I heard the following words countless times.
"Lee Myung-bak killed him, Lee Myung-bak did it..."
Lee Myung-bak's choice, kill everyone or learn how to live with one another
On my return to Seoul, I stopped at a restaurant near Miryang station. KBS 9 o'clock news was on air. A visitor paying his condolences was quoted on screen.
"At first I felt sorrow, but later I became angry."
The owner of the restaurant, in his forties, clicked his tongue as he spoke.
"Grabbing everyone who was close to President Roh and investigating them....... No one will be left at that rate."
Someone must survive! This is why former President Roh Moo-hyun's suicide is symbolic. It is tied to President Lee Myung-bak's plan to destroy progressives and reformists. We have only seen the tragic first chapter of this cleansing. Former President Roh Moo-hyun's death is a warning to President Lee Myung-bak. If President Lee Myung-bak continues to destroy the efforts of the past 10 years of progressive, reformist rule, and fail to accept people who have lived to build these progressive policies, then such 'extreme solutions' will continue.
President Lee Myung-bak's term has 3 years left, but it is highly likely that his will be a failed presidency. History will record that his acts of political revenge forced a former president to suicide. In order to wash away a little of that taint, he must begin a wholesale reform of government structure. He must learn to live together with progressives and reformists. His first step would be to repent at former President Roh Moo-hyun's memorial, in front of his family, in front of the Korean people.
'I'm sorry, I killed former President Roh Moo-hyun.'
Without this, President Lee Myung-bak will not be able to reconcile with the Korean people who feel their sorrow turning to anger at the death of 'Idiot Roh Moo-hyun.'
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©2009 OhmyNews
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