By Choi Yearn-hong


A former president’s words and behavior may attract affectionate attention in the United States and elsewhere. But not in South Korea. Jimmy Carter has been attracting positive attention for his writing of poetry and aid in building houses for the poor in and outside the United States. Harry Truman is still remembered for his frugal and moral lifestyle in the White House. He himself licked the stamps and stuck them on envelopes containing letters to his mother living in Independence, Mo. He walked to the post office once a week in order to mail his letter. There is no affectionate memory of former presidents in South Korea.

The first president was ousted by a student uprising in l960; the second president under the parliamentary cabinet system was ousted by the military junta; the third president was assassinated by his own CIA director after a long authoritarian rule; the fourth president, acting president after the assassination of the third president, was kicked out by the military leader who became next president; his army cadet school friend followed him due to a split between opposition leaders; and Mr. Kim Young-sam became a symbol of the Korean government failure. As you see, there is not fond memory of formers presidents. Former president Kim Young-sam has become the laughing stock of many Koreans due to his aberrant remarks. He blamed the former opposition party leader, Kim Dae-jung, who did not cooperate with him during his presidency before and during the financial crisis in l997. He could have presented his critical views in an intelligent way, but he did not. That is his problem. Whenever he opens his mouth, everybody laughs. He seems to enjoy being a laughing stock. Well, there were many prominent economists and bureaucrats who failed to forecast and adequately cope with the l997 economic debacle which Koreans called the "IMF crisis." The president, the National Assembly, economists and the general public could be all blamed. But the president should be singled out among the many incompetents under the presidential system. It seems to me that he does not realize his responsibility.

Mr. Kim Young-sam indicated that he has data about current President Kim Dae-jung’s political slush funds. Many citizens are curious when he will really disclose the latter’s political funds as well as his own. Anyway, political funds have been the dark continent of Korean politics. Their disclosure will hit like a bombshell.

Recently he made a comment to a monthly magazine in Seoul, which became a laughing stock again. He predicted Mr. Rhee In-je as the possible next president. Rhee is one of the nine supreme council members of the Millennium Democratic Party led by President Kim Dae-jung. He was once a "loyal son" of Kim Young-sam who was defeated by Lee Hoi-chang in the presidential nomination race of the then ruling party, and then created his own party to run for the presidency in l999. He received five million votes in the last presidential election. His votes helped Kim Dae-jung to victory and harmed the major contender Lee. After the election, Rhee joined the Kim Dae-jung party.

Former president Kim’s prediction may be right or wrong. Time will tell the truth. But almost all Koreans don’t appreciate his prediction. South Korea is struggling to reform its political and economic structures, and is hoping to create a brand-new politics and economy in the future. I believe Kim Young-sam’s role for the advancement of South Korean politics is almost nil and he does not seem to know what the people want. It is sad. He recently commented that the current President Kim Dae-jung’s winning the Nobel Peace Prize would humiliate the Nobel Prize. Kim Dae-jung’s Nobel Prize is the first-ever given to a Korean, so almost all Korean people celebrated the happy news from Oslo.

I hope Mr. Kim Young-sam would find his way back to his hometown, Koje Island in the South Sea, and go fishing like his father did. Probably, he does not even know how to fish. That is probably why he has remained in Seoul. He should have gone to the island after he retired from the Blue House. Unlike American politicians, almost all Korean politicians are not attorneys with law degrees, business executives, farmers, teachers and so on. This is a very serious problem. Politics is the only profession they know. So I would like to propose to future presidential candidates that they go back to their homelands and get some training as fishermen or farmers. Or else remain silent.

I also hope the current president would not invite former presidents to the Blue House for dinner. I don’t like my tax money to be used for their dinner.


The writer is a professor at the University of Seoul Graduate School of Urban Sciences.