New Bio Claims Roh Had Inferiority Complex
By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter
Former President Roh Moo-hyun didn't lack for critics and political opponents while in office. And apparently, getting tongue-lashed is not quite yet over for the former president, whose term ended late February.
A new book, titled ``Korean Presidents and Their Leadership,'' is a case in point. The book, written by Korea University honorary professor Kim Ho-jin, claims that the Roh presidency was a ``failure'' and that the root cause of that failure was Roh's ``inferiority complex.''
Professor Kim is no stranger to Korea's political world, having served as the minister of labor during the Kim Dae-jung presidency.
More recently, he worked as a senior member of the United New Democratic Party, renamed the United Democratic Party, which is the main opponent of President Lee Myung-bak's Grand National Party.
The professor says that Roh developed his inferiority complex while growing up in a destitute rural household. ``Former President Roh tried to change the world around him but didn't change himself. In the end, he couldn't escape from his inferiority complex. That's what limited President Roh as a person.''
The author also charged that Roh had failed as ``Korea's chief executive officer.''
``If a leader has a deep inferiority complex, as Roh has, it's easy to turn to emotional favoritism in appointing senior officials. The entire government took on Roh's personality and suffered from symptoms of inferiority, outwardly claiming moral and ideological superiority while ignoring public opinion. It viewed national issues from a narrowly defined, insulated perspective,'' he says.
The author went on to claim that this characteristic of the Roh presidency helped cause political and social rifts in the country, resulting in the public's disaffection with government and an administration that proved to be ineffective in addressing major national issues.
The author pointed to the Roh administration's real estate policies and the closure of government pressrooms as a couple of failed initiatives.
Professor Kim said, ``Roh's inferiority complex, borne out of his destitute childhood, did put him over the top. It was behind the former President's unbridled ambition and drive for power and achievement. But his inferiority complex wasn't resolved. In fact, it got worse and was compounded by the National Assembly's impeachment of his presidency in 2004.'' The Constitutional Court later overturned this.
The author said Korea's other former Presidents also exhibited some traits of an inferiority complex because of their background.
The professor said Roh Tae-woo, Chun Doo-hwan and the late Park Chung-hee all had to struggle with their poor backgrounds.