Roh Tae-woo's mixed presidential legacy

Then-President Roh Tae-woo, accompanied by first lady Kim Ok-sook, attends the opening ceremony for the 1988 Seoul Olympic Summer Games held for the first time in South Korea, in this file photo. Yonhap

He was co-leader of military coup, but first directly elected president

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Roh Tae-woo, Korea's first democratically elected president, passed away at the age of 88, Tuesday, leaving a mixed legacy regarding his role in Korea's path to democracy. The general-turned-president was the first to be elected through a direct election in 1987 after military dictatorship, but also helped stage a military coup and was responsible for the suppression of the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Movement.

Born in the southeastern city of Daegu on Dec. 4, 1932, Roh later served in the Korean Army after graduating from the Korean Military Academy where he met Chun Doo-hwan whom he helped to overthrow the government in the Dec. 12, 1979, military coup.

Roh is also accused of brutally cracking down on pro-democracy protesters during the 1980 uprising under the Chun administration.

After retiring as an army general, Roh took up several ministerial positions, including political affairs, sports and domestic affairs, in the Chun administration.

In 1987, when Roh was chairman of the ruling Democratic Justice Party and a presidential hopeful, he made a special announcement accepting the people's demands for democratization and a direct election of the president. He then became the country's first president through a direct election later that year.

Roh vowed to open an "era of ordinary people" when he was inaugurated, but in a way he only extended the military dictatorship.

The Roh administration's biggest diplomatic achievement was his so-called "Nordpolitik," or Northern Policy, opening a new chapter in Korea's external relations. The administration established diplomatic relations with "socialist" countries, namely Russia and China as well as eastern European nations such as Hungary, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria

Roh also improved inter-Korean relations, signing the Agreement on Reconciliation, Non-Aggression, Exchange and Cooperation with North Korea in 1991, the year when the two Koreas simultaneously joined the United Nations.

Roh Tae-woo shakes hands with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev before their summit at the Kremlin in Moscow, in this December 1990 file photo. Korea Times file

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Though elected through a direct election, Roh's post-presidency was rocky as he was later charged under the President Kim Young-sam government with bribery, treason and mutiny for his involvement for the 1979 coup and the 1980 Gwangju Massacre, along with his predecessor Chun.

Roh was sentenced to 17 years in prison by the Supreme Court in 1996, but later pardoned by President Kim.

He was also accused of creating a slush fund of 450 billion won ($390 million) during his term, and ordered to repay 262 billion won to the state.

Roh mostly remained outside public view after being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2002 with his last public appearance being at the late former President Roh Moo-hyun's inauguration ceremony in 2003.

Conflicting reactions

The ruling and opposition parties showed clear differences in assessing Roh's achievements.

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) released a statement describing Roh as a "criminal of history" who led the 1979 military coup and cracked down on the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Movement.

"He was elected through a direct election, but consequentially extended the military dictatorship in Korea. He was a dictator who tried to overcome his lack of legitimacy through a three-party merger," DPK spokesman Rep. Lee Yong-bin said in the statement.

The DPK did, however, recognize Roh's diplomatic accomplishments such as Nordpolitik, agreements with North Korea and the establishment of diplomatic ties with China. It also noted that Roh later apologized for what he had done at the Gwangju Democratic Movement through his children and paid off all penalties, unlike Chun.

Party members based in Gwangju released another statement opposing holding a state funeral for Roh and burying him in the National Cemetery, emphasizing the criminal charges he was found guilty of.

DPK leader Song Young-gil recognized Roh's son Jae-heon's apology to the family members of victims of the Gwangju Democratic Movement. Jae-heon, a lawyer based in the U.S. and director of the Korea-China Culture Center, has paid tribute to the May 18th National Cemetery on behalf of his father since 2019.

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) highlighted Roh's political career as the first president elected through a general election.

Former prosecutor general and a leading presidential contender from the opposition bloc Yoon Seok-youl said, "Roh's Nordpolitik and opening up of a new era of diplomacy at the end of the Cold War was a meaningful diplomatic outcome."

Hong Joon-pyo, another opposition presidential hopeful, noted Roh's "war on crime," which strengthened crackdowns on various criminal activities.