Seoul National University Ex-President Chung Writes Autobiography
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Chung Un-chan, former Seoul National University president has written a book, titled ``Cool Head, Warm Heart.''
In the partial autobiography, he writes about his life after deciding in April not to run in the presidential race. Chung is one of the country's most respected economists, and political parties tried to lure him to be their candidate.
He carefully thought over ways he might run in the election, but decided he preferred to continue to teach, announcing he was not going to run for the presidency. Now, having returned as a humorous but sharp-minded lecturer, he said he is no longer interested in politics.
``Late last year, everyone told me that I should be the president. However, once I announced my decision to quit, they all attacked and backstabbed me, making me out to be a hypocrite,'' Chung said, adding he was afraid of losing himself. ``I wasn't exactly a pro-government person, but I wasn't a conservative person either. The stress overwhelmed me and I suffered many nights from insomnia,'' he said.
However, the book isn't all about politics _ Chung also talks about his family and his passion for economics.
He was the last of 10 children. When his mother was pregnant with him, she reportedly drank toxic tea to induce an abortion, so when he was born, he was named Un-chan, which means ``man full of luck'' in Korean.
His passion for a profession in academia came about from his reading Adam Smith's ``An Inquiry Into The Nature and Causes of The Wealth of Nations.''
During his presidency at the nation's leading university, he came into conflict with President Roh Moo-hyun over his student admission policy, which led to him being disappointed with Roh.
Chung is a realist. He does not stand for the autonomous diplomacy but looks to the practicality of economics. Last February, he picked Deng Xiao Ping as a perfect example of a leader for a country. `` I say leadership is the key to everything,'' he said.