The Surging News reporter Wang Xinran
On October 26, former South Korean President Roh Tae-woo died of illness at the age of 88. Roh Tae-woo has been plagued by chronic diseases for many years, and recently was admitted to seoul national university hospital for treatment due to his deteriorating condition, but the treatment was ineffective and he died.
As an important figure in South Korean history, Roh Tae-woo was a promoter and participant in a series of events, both in the military and in the early days of politics, and had close ties with South Korea's fifth president, Chun Doo-hwan. Roh Tae-woo is also the first South Korean president in the "democratically elected" sense, and during his tenure, his diplomatic achievements have been remarkable, which has promoted the promotion of South Korea's international status.
"During the five years of Roh Tae-woo's reign, South Korea gradually de-authoritarianized, stirring up a wave of democratization in the political, economic, and social fields." For this figure, Yonhap News Agency reported a commentary. But the report also pointed out that from leading a military coup to regress the democratic process in South Korea to accepting bribes and being sentenced to prison, Roh Tae-woo has also left a lot of political stains.
The beginning of the military road
Roh Tae-woo was born on December 4, 1932, to a peasant family in Dacheng County, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. His father was a village official and was well-known in the local area. According to the "JoongAng Daily" previously reported, born in a family with no worries about food and clothing, Lu Taiyu's childhood life was also very happy, when he could receive many gifts from his father that made his peers hungry, and his father's love for musical instruments also made him deeply affected.
But when Lu Taiyu was 7 years old, his father was on the way to accompany his brother to the middle school entrance exam when he was killed by a sudden car accident. After that, the Lu family, who had lost the head of the family, fell in the middle of the road, and Lu Taiyu, as the eldest son, was able to successfully complete his studies with the support of his relatives.
This sudden accident had a certain impact on Lu Taiyu's personality. "Because he was taught by his mother from an early age that 'you can't let others say that you are a muddy boy without a father', he is very cautious in everything and knows the 'subjugated to the people's way of doing things' that lowers his posture and is humble." The Central Daily reported that Lu Taiyu had spoken less since he was a child, and everyone said that he was steady, not like a child. After becoming president, he was also criticized for being "overly cautious and indecisive."
Looking back on past experiences, Lu Taiyu did not aspire to join the military and politics since he was a child. In middle school, he aspired to become a doctor, and in order to be admitted to the medical university, he also transferred to the famous Gyeongbuk Middle School in the local area. The turning point began in 1950, when after the outbreak of the Korean War, Roh Tae-woo voluntarily enrolled in the student corps, after which he applied for the Army Non-Commissioned Officer School and met many of his peers. These people later became prominent figures in South Korean politics, including Chun Doo-hwan.
In 1955, Lu Taiyu graduated from the Army Non-Commissioned Officer School and began a real military life. According to the JoongAng Ilbo, when Roh Tae-woo was the leader of the Fifth Division of the Central Front, the division commander at that time was park Chung-hee, the future President of South Korea. It is said that Park Chung-hee has a high opinion of him, and Roh Tae-woo also has great respect for him. When Park Chung-hee seized power in a military coup in 1961, Chun Doo-hwan and roh Tae-woo and several of his classmates also staged demonstrations.
Since then, Lu Tae-woo participated in the Vietnam War as a lieutenant colonel, and has also served as chief aide-de-camp of the army's chief of staff, infantry regimental commander, assistant to the presidential guardhouse operations deputy chief, and several of which have been recommended by Chun Doo-hwan. The Nikkei Asian Review reported that Roh Tae-woo was a distinguished soldier, but his experiences during Chun Doo-hwan's reign were also highly controversial.
Gwangju Incident
"For many South Koreans, the name Roh Tae-woo is forever associated with the Gwangju incident in 1980." Speaking of Lu Taiyu's experience, Bloomberg reported that it was written.
On December 12, 1979, a group of young soldiers, led by Chun Doo-hwan and Lu Tae-woo, used force without authorization to arrest Zheng Shenghe, then commander of martial law and chief of staff of the army, and seized military power. On May 17, 1980, the New Army Department extended martial law to the whole country and effectively took over state power. At that time, the South Korean people protested against the military's "usurpation of power", but it was suppressed, and the "Gwangju Incident" occurred on May 18 of the same year. According to official statistics, the incident eventually killed at least 200 innocent people.
In 1981, Senior General Lu Taiyu, then commander of the Nationalist Security Forces, attended the retirement ceremony.
"The 1979 coup and the Gwangju incident were two of the darkest chapters in South Korea's modern history." The Associated Press reported that as Chun Doo-hwan's "friend," Roh Tae-woo was also an important participant in these events.
After Chun Doo-hwan took power and became president, Roh Tae-woo also served as the commander of the security of the nationalist army in his government, and obtained the status of second in command of the new military regime. In 1981, Lu Tae-woo was transferred to the reserve with the rank of general, began to get rid of the image of a soldier, and officially embarked on the road of "Quan Douhuan's successor" as a civilian official.
Since then, he has served in several important government positions, including the Minister of Sports of Korea, the Minister of Internal Affairs, and the Chairman of the Organization Committee of the Seoul Asian Games, and has made outstanding achievements in each period. The Central Daily reported that during this period, both internally and externally, Lu Taiyu left a deep impression.
Lu Tae-woo (left) and Chun Doo-hwan
"Unexpected" victory
In February 1985, Lo was elected to the National Assembly in the parliamentary election, and since then he has become a representative member of the ruling Party of the Democratic Party, becoming a veritable number two figure in the junta and moving toward the "center" of political power. The Associated Press reported that as Chun Doo-hwan's "hand-picked" successor, Roh Tae-woo was able to be elected president through "easy indirect elections," but strong calls for democratization also "blocked" the path.
In 1985, after South Korea's largest opposition party, the New Korea Democratic Party, advocated amending the constitution to implement a direct presidential election system, a series of mobilization activities continued nationwide. In 1987, after the torture to death of Park Jong-chol, a student at Seoul National University who had participated in protests, large-scale protests broke out in South Korea.
On February 25, 1988, Roh Tae-woo was sworn in as the thirteenth President of the Republic of Korea
Chun Doo-hwan vigorously discouraged calls for constitutional amendments and democratization, and in 1987 issued the April 13 Constitutional Proclamation, claiming that under the Constitution of the Fifth Republic, the President would transfer power to the next government in February 1988 and that presidential elections should be held within the year.
The democratization movement sparked by the announcement immediately spread throughout South Korea, with hundreds of thousands of people in dozens of cities taking part in demonstrations. Under great pressure, the Chun Doo-hwan government "succumbed" to the demands of the people, and Lo Tae-woo, as a representative of the Democratic Party, issued the June 29 Declaration with the theme of the direct presidential election system, the main contents of which included 8 measures such as amending the Constitution and implementing direct presidential election. Chun Doo-hwan has since said he "fully accepts" the manifesto and resigns as party leader.
Yonhap News Agency reported that the "declaration" made Roh Tae-woo complete a gorgeous turn from "junta deputy" to "democratization assistant", and the Associated Press also said that this was the beginning of South Korea's "transition to democracy".
Originally, the Democratic Party and Lo Tae-woo, who were forced to allow a public vote under pressure, had little hope, but the opposition party's "split vote" also brought them an "unexpected" victory. According to Yonhap News Agency, at that time, the single candidate of the opposition camp failed, and the two leaders of the opposition, Kim Dae-jung and Kim Young-sam, who were also the presidents thereafter, announced their departures, resulting in a dispute between the sandpipers in the democratic camp, and Roh Tae-woo "reaped the benefits of the fisherman" - elected president with 36% of the vote.
But the election also left "wounds that are difficult to heal" for the opposition camp and democrats. Yonhap News Agency said that Kim Dae-jung later regretted and blamed himself in his autobiography that "at least he should give in", and Kim Yongsan also lamented in an interview, "This move has become a thousand hatreds, ashamed of the people."
From soldier to "ordinary person"
Although In his military career and political career, Lu Taiyu once had a strong "military color", after he seized real power, he diluted this characteristic to a certain extent, and since the election period, he has established a gentle and kind image, calling himself "ordinary people", and establishing the slogan of "the era of ordinary people" for the Sixth Republic.
Yonhap News Agency reported that Roh Tae-woo had flaunted a "self-disciplined leadership" that had laid down his regime and tried to overcome domestic and foreign challenges through gradual reforms. But the serious problems facing South Korea at the time could not be solved, and just two weeks into office, the ruling party was defeated in the 1988 parliamentary elections. Under the unfavorable situation of "Ono Dai" in the country, the administration of the Lu Taiyu government also encountered many obstacles.
Among them, opposition parties have demanded that the government investigate and deal with some of the wrongful incidents during the Fifth Republic period and for responsibility for the "Gwangju incident", and the call for punishment of those responsible has also been even louder. This situation made Roh Tae-woo and Chun Doo-hwan have a "solid relationship" to become "intolerable", and the East Asia Daily reported that Roh Tae-woo "liquidated" Chun Doo-hwan and "drove him" to Baitan Temple, thus alienating the two.
Later, in order to reverse the situation, Roh Tae-woo promoted a three-party alliance in 1990, forming the Democratic liberal party together with kim yong-sam's United Democratic Party and the new democratic Republican Party led by former South Korean Prime Minister Kim Jong-bi, changing the composition of the parliament. However, how to unify the various parties that once held different goals has become a major problem. Yonhap News Agency reported that at that time, the "new ruling party" with mixed fish and dragons was in vain and factional infighting, but it quickly weakened Lu Tae-woo's political motivation. In addition, coupled with the criticism of Lu Taiyu's indecisive style, he has also been jokingly called "Water Taiyu".
However, Cao Zhongping and Zhang Rongzhi also pointed out in their "History of Contemporary Korea" that Lu Tae-woo took the initiative to consult with the leaders of the opposition parties in an attempt to resolve major political issues and tide over difficulties through compromise with the opposition parties.
In foreign affairs, Lu Taiyu received a fairly high evaluation. Through the "Northern Diplomacy" policy formulated by Roh Tae-woo, South Korea has normalized diplomatic relations with the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and other countries and regions, and actively expanded diplomatic space. During his tenure, he also established diplomatic relations between China and south Korea, and paid a state visit to China in September 1992.
In terms of ROK-DPRK relations, Roh Tae-woo held high the banner of "improving ROK-DPRK relations" and issued the "Special Declaration on National Self-Respect and Reunification and Prosperity" in the same year of taking office, proposing six principled measures for improving ROK-DPRK relations. In December 1991, the two sides also signed the historic Agreement on Reconciliation, Non-Aggression, Cooperation and Exchange between the North and the South, promising mutual recognition, peaceful coexistence and cooperation and exchanges.
In addition, in the adjustment of relations between the ROK and the United States and with countries in the "Asia-Pacific" region and other developing countries, its government has also achieved remarkable results. Yonhap News Agency commented that Roh Tae-woo's foreign initiatives have won him a positive evaluation for broadening the scope of South Korea's diplomatic activities, and he himself has also boasted that he has contributed to the promotion of South Korea's international status and economic development.
Trial after leaving office
Although Lu Taiyu had certain merits during his tenure, his mistakes were not forgotten by history, and he was judged accordingly after leaving office.
In November 1995, Roh Washu was arrested and imprisoned on suspicion of raising and embezzling secret funds, and as the case was investigated, chun Doo-hwan's issue of collecting money and establishing secret political funds during his term of office was also exposed to the world. Since then, with the appeal of the opposition parties, the investigation of Chun Doo-hwan and Lu Tae-yu has been fully launched, and the two and a number of important figures in the political, military, and financial circles have been sent to the trial stage.
In April 1997, Roh Tae-woo was sentenced to 17 years in prison and fined 262.89 billion won by the Supreme Court of South Korea for his involvement in "rebellion and civil unrest" and "bribery" under the South Korean Military Penal Code. In December 1997, Roh Tae-woo received an amnesty from then-President Kim Young-sam and was released in early 1998.
Since then, Lu Taiyu has rarely participated in speeches or political activities, and has hardly appeared in public. According to the Korea Times, the last time he attended a public event was during Roh Moo-hyun's inauguration in 2003. Reuters reported that Lu Taiyu has been in poor physical condition since undergoing prostate cancer surgery in 2002 and has been hospitalized several times in recent years.
Looking back at Roh Tae-woo's political career, the Nikkei Asian Review reported that he went from a "conspirator" in a military coup to South Korea's first "democratically elected president" in a matter of decades, and was later sentenced to prison for several crimes, ending his political career in "shame".
In 2014, Chun Doo-hwan visited Roh Tae-woo's residence in Seoul, where he asked Roh Tae-woo, who was lying in a hospital bed, "Do you still know me as a person?" Listen, Lu Taiyu's wife said, "If you recognize it, blink." At that time, Lu Tai blinked his eyes.
The visit was also described by The East Asia Daily as a "reconciliation" between Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, who had been estranged for many years. However, the report also pointed out that the "reconciliation" between the two former leaders who had suppressed the people during the "Gwangju Incident" did not bring certain feelings to the people at that time.
Indeed, deeply associated with the character of Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo has left indelible scars on the Korean people in several historical events. But he also worked hard to wipe off the military after becoming president, having had outstanding results in many areas. "Ups and downs, mixed honors and disgraces" — Yonhap Described Roh Tae-woo's experience as described by Yonhap News Agency.
Lu Taiyu has walked through 88 years in the wind and rain, leaving a "tortuous" and "complex" legacy, which will be remembered by history. On October 26, Lu Taiyu's widow disclosed his last words. In his last words, he expressed the hope that the people would forgive their shortcomings and mistakes. The last words also said, "I feel very honored and grateful to serve the great motherland and the people, and I will humbly accept my destiny and hope that the dream of korean reunification that has never been realized in my life can be realized in the hands of the next generation."
Editor-in-Charge: Zhang Wuwei
Proofreader: Ding Xiao