Good Bye Former President. Hello Nuclear Testing

On Saturday I was hiking(shocker) with a small group of Koreans and Canadians. We were searching for the hidden wall of Korea in Mount Buhtakensen when one of the Korean ladies mentioned in a quiet voice that the former president of Korea had committed suicide that morning. He had apparantly thrown himself off a mountain(which seems like a gruesome way to go about it).Dave and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows, asked a few questions, and then promptly forgot about the whole thing.

The next day we were exploring the Insadong region in Seoul and were attempting to discover the exact location of city hall when we happened upon a gigantic throng of people. Everyone was crying, wearing black, lighting candles, and lining up to pay tribute to the former president. Hundreds of riot police were carrying machine guns and patrolling the area. It`s how I imagine London was after the death of Lady Diana. It was very intense and emotional and I felt like I was trespessing on their mourning. Dave and I walked away from the whole scene as fast as we could.

I`m quite surprised by how distraught Koreans are over this particular death. Most Koreans that I have met seem to have had a very low opinion of Roh, Moo-Hyun and felt that he was an awful leader. My own co-teacher had described him as being the `George Bush of Korea`, and if George Bush were to kill himself I think it`s safe(albeit controversial) to say that there might very well be parties in the street. I asked Scarlett(my co-teach) why there were so many vigils being held and she explained that at the beginning of his career Roh, Moo-hyun was very popular amongst the lower-to-middle class citizens. He was apparantly viewed as a political martyr, as he tried to spearhead the concept of “honest politics” during his tenure and shy Korea away from the reputation of being a nation of political corruption.

Ironically, One year and two months after leaving office, Roh, Moo-Hyn was being investigated for a bribery scandal. Wikipedia printed his suicide note this morning and I`m going to post it here.

I have owed to too many people. The amount of burden I have caused to them is too great. I can't begin to fathom the countless agonies down the road. The rest of my life would only be a burden for others. I am unable to do anything because of poor health. I can't read books, nor can I write. Do not be too sad. Isn't life and death all part of nature? Do not be sorry. Do not feel resentment toward anyone. It is fate. Cremate me. And leave only a small tombstone near home. I've thought this for a while

On another note, North Korea had confirmed that it conducted a nuclear test underground(one that was intense enough to cause a mid-size earthquake).

An interesting and scary time to be living in the Asian Pacific.