Ten biggest lies in modern Korean history
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Former President Park Geun-hye announces on Nov. 4, 2016, that she will cooperate with prosecutors in their investigation into allegations about her involvement in a corruption scandal involving her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil. / Korea Times file
By Eom Da-sol
What are the 10 biggest lies that have caused turmoil in Korea since its establishment in 1948? And what has been the worst lie?
The Hankook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times, released the list of the top 10 lies in modern Korean history on April Fools’ Day, Saturday. The list was based on an online survey conducted among 700 Korean adults from March 23 to 28.
Those polled were asked a question: “What is the most unforgivable lie?”
The No. 1 lie was the chemical product manufacturer Oxy Reckitt Benckiser saying, “Our humidifier disinfectant is not harmful to anyone’s health.” It scored 4.91 out of five.
In 2011, 219 people were identified as victims of humidifier disinfectants, which later were found to contain toxic chemicals that damaged their lungs.
Most of these products were made by Oxy, based in the U.K. The company even advertised its humidifier sterilizer products as, “not harmful to children.”
The explanation for a student protester’s death by then national police chief Kang Min-chang in 1987 scored 4.89 and ranked as the second-worst lie.
Kang said Park Jong-chul, a Seoul National University student who joined a demonstration demanding better working conditions and more rights for workers, “suddenly died because of shock when we slammed the desk.”
Park was tortured by the police in their attempt to find protest leader, Park Jong-woon.
The death later triggered the June 1987 pro-democracy protests, one of the biggest nationwide democratic movements in Korea.
The third most unforgivable lie was Korea’s first President Syngman Rhee’s announcement at the start of the Korean War in 1950, recording 4.83.
He said, “Every Cabinet member, including myself, will protect the government, and parliament has decided to remain in Seoul. Citizens should not worry and remain in their workplaces.”
Actually, Lee had already fled to the southern part of the nation. He also ordered the military to blow up the Han River Bridge to prevent the invading North Korean army from marching through, which in turn trapped civilians inside the war zones.
The other rankings are:
4. (4.76): “All I have is 290,000 won ($260),” said former President Chun Doo-hwan in 2003, years after he was convicted of treason, bribery and the tax evasion he committed during his presidency from 1980 to 1988. The authorities have so far confiscated 114 billion won from Chun.
5. (4.68): “I will cooperate with investigations to unveil the truth,” said former President Park Geun-hye in November 2016, when she faced allegations about abuse of power, extortion of money from conglomerates and giving confidential state documents to her friend Choi Soon-sil.
The Constitutional Court upheld her impeachment on March 10. In the ruling, the court noted that she did not keep her promises regarding the investigations
6. (4.18): “Our team has succeeded in creating human embryonic stem cells by cloning,” said professor Hwang Woo-suk in a 2005 edition of the Science Journal. The claim was later found to be false and he was dismissed from Seoul National University.
7. (3.97): “I graduated from the University of Kansas and Yale University,” said Sungkok Art Museum Curator Shin Jeong-ah in 2007. Her educational background was a lie. The court sentenced Shin to one-year-and-seven months in prison on charges of fraud and embezzlement.
8. (3.78): “I did drink alcohol, but did no drunk driving,” said singer Kim Sang-hyuk in April 2005. Six months later, he was jailed for 10 months on charges of drunk driving and a hit-and-run accident.
9. (3.72): “I will complete my military service faithfully,” said singer Yoo Seung-jun in 2000. He did not enlist in the army in the end but acquired U.S. citizenship to avoid any further obligation. He has been banned from entering Korea ever since.
10. (2.65): “Let all the events be judged by history, I will go back as a civilian,” said former President Kim Dae-jung in 1992, announcing his retirement from politics after his defeat in the presidential election. But he came back to politics three years later and was elected president in 1997.