[Focus Interview] South Korea's Jinbie Roh Moo-hyun (2009.05.29)
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Shui Junyi: "Even if the crow flies, because Flying away crying without food.” Former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun used this language to describe the poverty in his hometown. The place called Fengxia Village was once favored by tourists because Roh Moo-hyun was elected president. Unfortunately, this same village became the place where Roh Moo-hyun, who had resigned as president for 15 months, ended his life on May 23.
Today Roh Moo-hyun’s coffin arrived in Seoul, the capital, from Fengxia Village. South Korean people bid farewell to their former head of state with the high ceremony of a national funeral.
News video:
At 11 a.m. local time today and 10 a.m. Beijing time, the funeral of former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun was held in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The black hearse carrying Roh Moo-hyun's coffin set off from Bongha Village, Gimhae City, 400 kilometers away in the early morning, and took nearly five hours to arrive at Gyeongbokgung Palace in the center of Seoul. More than 2,000 people including South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Kim Young-sam, current and former senior government officials, envoys from various countries and representatives from all walks of life in South Korea attended the farewell ceremony in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace, the most solemn national funeral in South Korean history.
A public funeral is the highest funeral standard for a retiring president in South Korea and lasts for seven days. As of today, the number of Korean people participating in mourning has reached a record 3 million.
Today, a huge portrait of Roh Moo-hyun surrounded by plain flowers was placed in the center of the venue, and video materials of Roh Moo-hyun during his lifetime, including the swearing-in as president, were played on the huge TV screens on both sides. Amid the sounds of mourning and music, people laid wreaths. Amid songs and 21 shots fired by the honor guard of the three armed forces, the farewell ceremony ended at around 11 a.m.
Hundreds of thousands of people bid farewell to Roh Moo-hyun on both sides of the road where Roh Moo-hyun’s hearse passed. The former president's remains were cremated this afternoon. The ashes return to their hometown tonight.
He was born in poverty, walked out of the countryside, and became the head of state through hard work; he emphasized integrity throughout his life, but in the end he was involved in bribery suspicion and investigation, and ended his life by jumping from a cliff.
Surrounding Roh Moo-hyun’s coffin in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace, people have forgotten his faults and pending culpability for a long or short time, expressing their regret and regret for the president they chose more than six years ago. A final tribute full of sadness.
Host: My current location is Seoul, the capital of South Korea. As you can see, this road is called Taiping Road, and the other end of Taiping Road is Gyeongbokgung Palace. Here, a farewell ceremony for the remains of former President Roh Moo-hyun was held today. Former President Roh Moo-hyun died suddenly on the 23rd. The Korean people used different ways to express their deep condolences for the former president who had just stepped down for 15 months. According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 200 mourning halls set up by civil society organizations in various places. In just the first three days of the ceremony, more than 400,000 people went to Fengxia Village, Roh Moo-hyun’s hometown, to pay their respects.
Narration: At 9:30 a.m. local time on May 23, 2009, Pusan ??National University Hospital in South Korea announced that former President Roh Moo-hyun, who was delivered to the hospital 77 minutes ago, died of his injuries. According to preliminary investigations, at about 6:45 in the morning that day, Roh Moo-hyun jumped from the 30-meter-high Owl Rock near his residence while taking a walk as usual in Bongha Village, Gimhae City, his hometown. At 11 a.m. that day, South Korean police announced that Roh Moo-hyun jumped off a cliff and died. The news spread, and the whole country of South Korea was shocked. President Lee Myung-bak expressed condolences and immediately announced a comprehensive investigation into Roh Moo-hyun's death. That afternoon, South Korea’s Attorney General decided to end the investigation into Roh Moo-hyun’s suspected bribery case after convening an emergency meeting. In fact, it was the deepening of this investigation that finally broke the tree of life in the heart of the former president.
(Facts)
In modern world history, it is extremely rare for a retiring head of state to commit suicide. Roh Moo-hyun's death shocked not only South Korea, but also the world. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement saying: "Roh Moo-hyun continued to work hard for the development of democracy and adopted various reform measures during his lifetime, paving the way for the establishment of a developed society. I would like to pay tribute to him and pray that his late friend rests in peace." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ma Zhaoxu said on the 24th: We express regret and condolences for the unfortunate death of Mr. Roh Moo-hyun, and express our deep condolences to his relatives. During his tenure as President of South Korea, Mr. Roh Moo-hyun attached great importance to the development of China-South Korea relations. The Chinese government and people will never forget his positive efforts and important contributions to promoting the comprehensive development of China-ROK relations.
Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso said on the afternoon of May 23: "I had a conversation with him when I was foreign minister. I am very shocked by his death. I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to him." U.S. President Obama said that on behalf of the U.S. government, he would like to express condolences to President Roh Moo-hyun’s family and the Korean people. According to the Korean Central News Agency, Kim Jong Il, chairman of the North Korean National Defense Commission, said in a condolence message to Roh Moo-hyun’s widow on the 25th that we received the news of the unfortunate death of former President Roh Moo-hyun and expressed our deep condolences to Ms. Kwon Yang-sook and the surviving family members.
(Roh Moo-hyun’s life)
Roh Moo-hyun had three plans before taking office as president: first, to ensure political transparency to the end, second, to keep Cheong Wa Dae away from money, and third, to take good care of his relatives. Did he do it? The reality is obviously far more complicated than imagined, and even the head of a country cannot control it. However, even after Roh Moo-hyun passed away, people still regarded him as an ambitious and ideal man.
In July 2003, the then President Roh Moo-hyun visited China for the first time and was interviewed by Shui Junyi, the host of CCTV's "High-End Interview" in Beijing. Today, as the Korean people bid farewell to Roh Moo-hyun, if we listen to his words and look at his expression, we may have a deeper understanding.
Roh Moo-hyun: I became a member of Congress for the first time in 1988. From that time until now, members of Congress were often criticized by the people as people who did not tell the truth and were not trustworthy. This is a real misfortune for politicians and an even greater misfortune for the country. …I never wavered. After engaging in political work, I often feel that political work itself is difficult and it is not easy to win votes. For people like me, it is difficult to even raise campaign funds. Politics is not a happy thing for me. But I have always insisted on a belief that I cannot do what others cannot do. I insist on doing things that others can't do, but I can do it. Therefore, I persisted in myself and never wavered.
Moderator: Roh Moo-hyun won the hearts of the people with his clean and anti-corruption campaign when he was running for president. However, after leaving office, he ended up on the road of no return due to suspicion of bribery. This is his personal tragedy and South Korea's tragedy. At the same time, the death of Roh Moo-hyun should be more than just a tragedy. I believe South Korea and the world will be warned by it. No matter where you are, the ideal of uprightness is always not only a slogan, but also a test that must be faced at any time.