Roh’s inner thoughts revealed in new book
Published: 25 Nov. 2009, 21:54
By Yoo Jee-ho
The late former President Roh Moo-hyun liked to call himself a fool, a term that endeared him to the populace. In his second posthumous memoir, released yesterday Roh said he was an “unlucky president.”
Titled “Future of the Progressive,” the book was published by the Institute for Future Korea and the Roh Moo-hyun foundation. The book contains Roh’s writing on progressivism posted on Internet community sites and also transcripts of his verbal messages to Blue House staff members.
In the book, Roh lamented that he slashed taxes just to appease the media and the public and added, “I was the unlucky president who was criticized for leading a government of distribution even though I never properly distributed anything.”
He also offered his take on the presidential post.
“I think the president is a thankless job because you can’t always carry out your thoughts into action,” Roh wrote. “There were a few things that I did against my personal interest in the name of national benefits, such as sending troops to Iraq.”
Roh refused to blame the Lee Myung-bak government for the slow economy, saying the major reason was the collapse of the U.S. economy, which eventually led to the global downturn.
Roh, who during his tenure was famous for spats with his critics, took more shots in the book.
“The so-called progressive faction told me that I have done so much wrong,” Roh wrote. “But I’d like to ask, ‘Then what have you done?’ How can you put all the blame on me when you’ve done nothing yourself?”
Roh leapt to his death on May 23 this year, at age 62, at the height of a highly publicized investigation into a bribery scandal which also implicated his wife, former First Lady Kwon Yang-sook. The Supreme Public Prosecutors’ Office ended its probes after Roh’s death.
By Yoo Jee-ho [[email protected]]
The late former President Roh Moo-hyun liked to call himself a fool, a term that endeared him to the populace. In his second posthumous memoir, released yesterday Roh said he was an “unlucky president.”
Titled “Future of the Progressive,” the book was published by the Institute for Future Korea and the Roh Moo-hyun foundation. The book contains Roh’s writing on progressivism posted on Internet community sites and also transcripts of his verbal messages to Blue House staff members.
In the book, Roh lamented that he slashed taxes just to appease the media and the public and added, “I was the unlucky president who was criticized for leading a government of distribution even though I never properly distributed anything.”
He also offered his take on the presidential post.
“I think the president is a thankless job because you can’t always carry out your thoughts into action,” Roh wrote. “There were a few things that I did against my personal interest in the name of national benefits, such as sending troops to Iraq.”
Roh refused to blame the Lee Myung-bak government for the slow economy, saying the major reason was the collapse of the U.S. economy, which eventually led to the global downturn.
Roh, who during his tenure was famous for spats with his critics, took more shots in the book.
“The so-called progressive faction told me that I have done so much wrong,” Roh wrote. “But I’d like to ask, ‘Then what have you done?’ How can you put all the blame on me when you’ve done nothing yourself?”
Roh leapt to his death on May 23 this year, at age 62, at the height of a highly publicized investigation into a bribery scandal which also implicated his wife, former First Lady Kwon Yang-sook. The Supreme Public Prosecutors’ Office ended its probes after Roh’s death.
By Yoo Jee-ho [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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