Memoirs Reveal Roh’s Financial Struggles
By Lee Tae-hoon
Staff Reporter
The late former President Roh Moo-hyun's unfinished memoirs, ``Success and Frustration,'' published Monday, sheds new light on the financial predicament he was in.
In the 384-page book, Roh defines himself as a ``failed president'' and describes the agonizing he went through, saying, ``My memories are dominated by failures and frustrations rather than successes and glories.''
The late president took his own life in May while he was under investigation for a bribery scandal allegedly involving him, his family and aides.
Roh laments the financial difficulties he had to face after leaving office in Feburary 2008, saying that writing the memoirs was a ``struggle to survive.''
``If this book does not succeed, I will not only have to cut off friendships with people, but will not even be able to play cards with them,'' Roh said. ``Who would visit me if I do not write this book?''
He said that, as a youth, the main goal of his life was to make ends meet, and he was still striving for it.
Roh also hinted that taking money was unavoidable in his political life.
``I never mentioned the phrase 'clean politics' after serving my first term as a lawmaker,'' he said. ``Even when I declared clean politics after my term ended, I was thinking that money cannot be separable from politics. I always believed it was just a matter of degrees.''
With regard to the dispatch of soldiers to Iraq, Roh said, ``I knew back then and still believe that it will remain as a bad decision in history. However, it was an unavoidable and inevitable choice to make.''
With regard to the second inter-Korean summit in October 2007, Roh describes North Korean leader Kim Jong-il as ``perhaps one of the most flexible North Koreans that I've met.
``Kim gave me the impression he is the one that I can communicate with because he seemed quite open-minded in practical matters and capable of flexibly making decisions.''
The book is mainly composed of three parts ― the incomplete manuscript of reminiscences, his writings posted on a private blog and a collection of closed-door interviews.