By Sah Dong-seok
Deputy Managing Editor
Not a single president has been successful in South Korea since its modern political system began in the middle of the 1940s. Let alone success, some of them even faced misfortune with most others facing harsh criticism.
Syngman Rhee, the inaugural president, built democracy and capitalism in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula, but had to defect to Hawaii after the April 19 uprising that overthrew his autocracy.
Park Chung-hee, who took power through a coup, is most popular among past presidents as he always stands atop opinion polls asking who is the most respected leader. The general-turned-politician ruled the country for 18 years with an iron fist and played a decisive role in lifting South Korea to what it is today ― the world's 13th largest economy. But he resorted to force for most of his tenure, oppressing opponents ruthlessly, and ultimately met with a tragic death at the hands of his crony. Despite his insurmountable popularity, it would be far-fetched to call him a successful president.
Chun Doo-hwan, Park's successor who also hailed from the military, may be drawing the most harsh critique because of his alleged role in crushing the pro-democracy movement in 1980, yet he nursed the crumbling economy back to health and paved the way for the peaceful transfer of power.
Roh Tae-woo, Chun's classmate at the Korea Military Academy, was often called the ``water president'' because of his softness and indecisiveness. Given the wave of democratization while he was president and his contribution to the 1988 Seoul Olympics and economic prosperity, he may have something deserving praise. But both were jailed for mutiny and corruption after retirement ― far from being successful presidents.
The two civilian presidents after Roh ― Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung ― suffered humiliation toward the close of their terms as their children were jailed for receiving bribes. The former, who had been ignorant of economic matters, is often seen as the worst president since he failed to prevent currency turmoil from engulfing the nation in late 1997.
Kim Dae-jung has been closest to a successful presidency as his administration was competent enough to overcome the economic crisis at an earlier-than-expected date, and he himself won the Nobel Peace Prize for the first inter-Korean summit. But premature complacency on economic woes led to a credit card crisis and the secret provision of funds to North Korea in return for the summit ended up with the imprisonment of his aides after the end of his term. He is still making political arguments frequently despite his advanced age, but their repercussions seem limited.
Roh Moo-hyun must be the most tragic president in Korea's political history because he took his own life. He was the talk of the town for most of his five-year presidency, for good or bad, and after leaving the presidential office, he was also often on everyone's lip. While in office, he was a populist, not hesitating to display hostilities toward some of his people and split the nation for political gains. It's not easy to know what motivated him to jump to his death behind his rural home, but at least one thing is clear that he, as a leader, set a bad example for children. Even after death, he is at center stage, prompting his followers to rely on him and not to forget him. Nonetheless, he must be a failure.
Bygones are bygones and the most important thing is whether Lee Myung-bak, the incumbent president, will be able to strike success. That's because the president's success is directly linked to people's happiness and well-being. Yet, things are not that bright.
Lee is now surrounded by tough opponents ― from leftists to centrists to rightists ― amid the erosion of his support base. Going through last year's candlelight vigils and this year's by-election defeat and the death of his predecessor, he has lost much confidence and people won't listen to him.
If Lee wants to remain a successful president, he has to narrow his scope to three things: economy, no corruption and inter-Korean relations. Economic revitalization will be crucial but given the economy is influenced to a large extent by outside factors, it won't be that easy no matter how much he claims to be an expert on the real economy. Being corruption-free will become a very important factor to evaluate if his presidency is successful. In this respect, he will have to closely watch every move of his and his wife's families.
The trickiest task is how to deal with North Korea. At the moment, the inter-Korean relationship is in its worst state, but Lee must avoid zigzagging in his North Korea policy. What if he had opted for a more appeasing approach toward North Korea? I'd say the result would have been the same.