.jpg/dims/resize/740/optimize) |
| Visitors pay their respects at a memorial altar for former President Syngman Rhee at the Seoul National Cemetery on July 17. / Yonhap |
By Do Je-hae
The legacy of former President Syngman Rhee is at the center of a new controversy after a recent KBS report showed that he attempted to go into exile in Japan at the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War.
On June 24, a KBS news program featured documents evidencing the Rhee administration's pursuit of attaining refugee status in Japan when the war erupted. The controversial report has prompted a backlash from right-wing civic groups and commemorative organizations that seek to protect the legacy of the nation's first president.
Under strong pressure from these groups, KBS offered a retraction a week later. Journalists involved in the report were hit with disciplinary measures from the broadcaster.
This is the latest case underscoring the polarization regarding Rhee's legacy.
A constant subject of debate and historical research, Rhee remains a controversial figure. Last year, a heated debate among some citizens and scholars erupted about his 12-year rule when a documentary on YouTube portrayed him as a dishonest, failed politician.
There is still much division on how to define Rhee's presidency and his role in shaping the nation before and after the end of Japan's colonial rule in 1945. Some respect him for laying the foundations for a modern country, while others disregard him as a ruthless authoritarian. He has also been blamed for solidifying the division of the Korean Peninsula.
Political division over Rhee's legacy was demonstrated once again during a ceremony on July 19 to remember the 50th anniversary of Rhee's death in Hawaii.
The subdued event took place at the Seoul National Cemetery. The ruling camp, led by Saenuri Party Chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung, paid their respects but the opposition parties were visibly absent. The absence of New Politics Alliance for Democracy Chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in is counter to recent polls where many were in favor of Moon's attendance as a sign of national unity.
During the ceremony, Kim gave an emotional speech, where he underlined Rhee's "wisdom and courage for founding the nation, overcoming the war and launching Korea's industrialization."
"We need to be proud of him," Kim said. "Now is the time to perceive him as the ‘father of the nation.'"
Some Koreans do not agree with such a view. They said they harbored more respect for Rhee's political rival Kim Gu, who was favored over Rhee as the "founding father of the nation" in a poll a few years ago over Rhee. In a survey by Korea Research, 44 percent replied that they associate nation-funding primarily with Kim, placing him ahead of Rhee.
Kim, who was assassinated shortly before the Korean War, opposed the establishment of two separate governments on the Korean Peninsula. He wanted one government to avoid a civil war because he believed that forming a separate government in the South would lead to a similar movement in the North, which would ultimately solidify the national division and trigger armed conflict.
Rhee was against Kim's persistent campaigns against separate governments in the two Koreas.
Lingering debate
On July 20, 1948, Rhee was elected president of the Republic of Korea. On August 15, the Republic of Korea was formally established and Rhee was inaugurated as the first president.
A series of academic conferences have been underway since May to reflect on Rhee's achievements and shortcomings before and during his presidency in light of the 50th anniversary of his death.
The Center for Free Enterprise has been holding discussion for redressing some of the accusations that Rhee has continuously faced, one of the most frequent being that he is a main culprit of national division.
"Most Koreans hold a bad opinion of Rhee," Hyun Jin-kwon, the director of the center said. "Through the discussion, we hope that Rhee's reputation can be restored through proper assessment."
Rhee, a pronounced anti-Communist, believed that forming a separate government was urgently needed to stave off Communism. A survey at the time showed that 71 percent of the people were in favor of communism.
His critics have also blamed him for deserting the country at the onset of the war. A May 26, 2014 column in the Hankyoreh newspaper and a Moodeung Ilbo editorial last year highlighted Rhee's cowardice during the early days of the war. Rhee fled the capital for Busan while misleading the citizens of Seoul to believe he would remain in the capital and fight.
Independence fighter
Before Rhee became president, he spent almost 30 years as a pro-independence activist against Japanese rule.
That part of his life that has been overshadowed by his controversial presidency. But his efforts to free Korea from Japanese rule (1910-45) have been regaining attention ahead of the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation, which falls on Aug. 15.
A series of new publications have been shedding light on his role as an independence activist, diplomat and leader of the provisional government based in China during colonial rule.
The Syngman Rhee Institute of Yonsei University published this month a collection of diaries, written in English by Rhee from 1904 through 1934.
The diaries contain the details of Rhee's diplomatic activities, such as his arguments with the U.S. Department of State representatives on the timing of Korea's liberation. In 1919, Rhee petitioned to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and the Peace Conference in Paris, underlining the illegality of the Japanese occupation.
