Books unfold leadership of ex-presidents

By Han Sang-hee

Reading lots of books is meant to educate a person so they can maximize their talents, and who would be better teachers than former heads of state?

It’s difficult to satisfy everyone in a group, let alone in a whole country, when you are president, but one thing is certain: without his or her own style of leadership it would be difficult to distinguish oneself as an inspiring role model.

Two new books highlight the leaderships of two Korean presidents — Park Chung-hee (1917-1979) and Kim Dae-jung (1924-2009), delving into the lives and careers of the two prominent leaders and offering readers an idea of what made these men so special.

“We Can Do” was published by the Park Chung-hee, Yuk Young-soo Research Center, an institute founded in 2004 with the aim of acknowledging the past president’s beliefs, and present both political and personal advice to future generations. It tackles the A to Zs of Park’s leadership, with special focus on his achievements during his time as president (1963-1979) rather than his political controversies.

The message is clear and simple: “The successful keyword for President Park is the ‘we can do’ spirit, and we hope the book will be able to pass that spirit to the younger generation.”

“We Can Do” gives an overview of Park’s leadership in categories of his accomplishments, such as his economic, social, agricultural, scientific and environmental endeavors, through notes, news articles and interviews.

Serving as the ruler for 18 years and also being a quite diligent and ambitious man, President Park brought the war-torn country back to its feet and the book describes how and why he was able to push through such projects and movements that modernized Korea.

The “Saemaul” movement, or the New Village movement, is one of the most important examples that describe Park’s leadership. The writers describe the movement, which eventually led to an industrialized Korea, in detail, along with photos, quotes and incidents that will help readers draw a clearer picture of Park and his innovative vision.

“Unlike other leaders who eventually lose their initial drive, spirit and their interests in the people as time goes by, Park carried on his revolutionary spirit and pledges, and strived to carry them out until the day he died,” the book reads.

Meanwhile, “Kim Dae-jung Leadership” also features the spirit and beliefs that guided the late head of state throughout his life, but with a broader and more personal standpoint.

It was written by Choi Kyung-hwan, press secretary of the former president and the last one who served him before his death, and thanks to his experience with the president, “Kim Dae-jung Leadership” certainly comes as more of an intimate account.

Instead of simply listing his economical or political successes, the writer delves into the more personal and social aspects about Kim; from his philosophies, habits, hobbies and even family relations.

“This is not only about the leadership and a politician’s journey of becoming the head of state, but more about Kim’s own rules and philosophy and how he used his leadership throughout his life,” the preface reads.

According to Choi, Kim had a knack for positivity. Whenever he was confronted with a difficult problem, he would pull out a blank piece of paper, draw a line down the middle and write the bad points on one side and good points on the other. This way, he was able to study the problem more closely and realize that there are actually positive points to every situation: one just has to find them.

“He would have to go through hemodialysis three times a week, which was a grueling process itself, but he always managed to find something good about it. He would say that despite the time, effort and pain spent in the process, it enabled him to look after his weight and health,” Choi wrote.

These two books depict the leaderships of two revered leaders, but they adopt quite different approaches, obviously because they were very different in their goals and style.

“We Can Do” does an excellent job in tackling Park’s achievements, reminding the viewer that despite his political stance and dictatorship, he was an innovative, creative and a very determined leader. “Kim Dae-jung Leadership,” on the other hand, opens a window to peek at the ups and downs of President Kim in a more direct way.

It’s important to understand that there cannot be perfect leaders with no enemies or oppositions, and this applies to the two presidents as well. Park has been criticized for his authoritarian rule, while Kim was criticized for being too generous to North Korea under his Sunshine Policy, and the two books do mention such issues.

The two books remain as inspirational interpretations of two examples of true leadership that understood the needs that were asked of them and the clear vision of the duties to be completed.