By Baek Byung-yeul, Park Ji-won, Lee Kyung-min, Nam Hyun-woo
For the future children of people now in their 20s, we have selected three worthy nominees who we think should have biographies published about them 30 years from now. Will your future children read them or throw them away?
King of pop culture: Seo Tai-ji
Seo Tai-ji, 41, a popular rock musician and former leader of disbanded Korean legendary pop group Seo Tai-ji & Boys, has been acknowledged as a cultural icon since the 1990s, recording mega hits with almost all the songs he released.
He garnered a reputation not only from his trend-setting compositional skills but also with lyrics reflecting change in society, causing people to question their role in it.
One of his many hits was "Classroom Idea," which was released in 1994. The song rocked the nation with its heavy sound and lyrics that criticize the twisted and uniform Korean educational system.
When Seo Tai-ji & Boys disbanded in 1996, every news outlet here covered the story. Some distraught fans committed suicide after the group broke up. Culture critics coined a new term, the "Seo Tai-ji effect" to describe the cultural shock that hit Koreans. Literally, the whole country was affected by Seo Tai-ji.
After the breakup, he made his debut as a rock band frontman, and started to express freely what he really wanted to share with his listeners. He has released four albums since.
With his success and presence in the music industry in Korea, culture critics nicknamed him "the icon of pop culture." In 2004, he met former President Kim Dae-jung as an influential figure of the era and critics dubbed this encounter as "the meeting of the culture president and the country's president."
As he consolidated his absolute status as a pop artist in Korea, he began inviting famous foreign musicians into the country to jointly stage concerts. He introduced "rock festivasl" to Koreans who had rarely enjoyed such a concert style.
Seo has kept his life secret from the media, living abroad. It made the public curious about every move he made, while his fans thought that he was like a prince in a fairytale, removed from the people.
In 2011, he shocked the country saying that he secretly married actress E Ji-ah in 1997 and divorced in 2006. The revelation of the secret marriage between the "prince" and the rising actress showed his fans that he was also a person who falls in love, gets married and breaks up.
Last week, Seo stunned the country again by announcing his marriage to a 24-year-old actress through his official website.
While proving that he is still very active both musically and physically, the rocker is believed to have more to show than he already has. That's why he should be the subject of a biography in 30 years, not now.
Controversial, but successful: Lee Kun-hee
"Change everything except for your wife and children." Samsung Electronics CEO Lee Kun-hee made this statement in 1993 in Frankfurt. It was later called "the declaration in Frankfurt."
He made it after he saw a group of electricians trying to fix a defective washing machine using a replacement plastic pin. The sight struck him as so pathetic that he decided to develop Samsung into the No.1 phone maker in the world, he recalled in his book, "Samsung, 21st Century New Management Notes."
In a gesture that symbolizes his management approach, he gathered together all defective devices, piled them up, and set fire to them in front of his employees. Then he reportedly said, "We are not the maker of sub-par products anymore. That's not who we will be."
From that moment, Samsung changed. Under his leadership, the company became a top player with annual revenue above 200 trillion won ($178 billion) topping that of Microsoft.
However, while striving to make Samsung a high-profile global brand, Lee became the subject of a legal investigation. He was convicted of tax evasion charges in 2008, but pardoned by former President Lee Myung-bak in 2009.
Due to this, Chairman Lee stepped down from his post on April 22, 2008, but returned two years later. Now, Samsung is in full operation with Lee at the top of the chain of command, leading the global electronics market in sales of electronic goods and smartphones.
Two-faced war hero: Paik Sun-yup
When someone's biography is written, there's nothing like the description "war hero" to help a person become recognized as an important person. Paik Sun-yup, South Korea's first four-star general, is one of the most striking figures from the 1950-53 Korean War among a slew of war heroes who fought in the conflict.
After North Korea started the war on June 25, 1950, Paik, then an Army colonel and commander of the 1st ROK Army Infantry Division, was assigned to defend Seoul and western frontline areas.
There is an anecdote about Paik's bravery in combat.
After they retreated to the southern defense line, the Nakdong River, Paik and his troops were demoralized because they were retreating and hungry.
He reportedly boosted the morale of the troops by saying, "While our country is collapsing, those guys (U.S. soldiers) are still fighting for us and for our people. We cannot go on like this. I'll lead. Just follow me. If I retreat, I am pleased to allow you guys to shoot me!"
Whether this rhetoric boosted his troops' morale or it just happened, under his command, his division made a huge contribution to the South, becoming the first to enter Pyongyang. He pushed the remaining soldiers from the North over the 38th parallel, the prewar boundary between the two Koreas.
In July 1952, a year before the war ended in an armistice, he was appointed as Army chief of staff at the age of 32.
After the war ended, Paik remained at the center of the nation where everything was ruined and devoted himself to modernizing Korea. He also established an orphanage who lost their parents during the war.
Before he left the army in 1960, he took the initiative, ensuring the service adopted cutting-edge weaponry. After retirement, he served as a diplomat to many countries, including France, Canada and Taiwan, and as a minister of transport.
Paik is still very active as the president of the Association of the Republic of Korea Army (AROKA) although he's over 90.
However, he is also regarded as a controversial figure due to pro-Japanese activities before the Korean War broke out.
Born in South Pyongan Province, now part of North Korea, in 1920, Paik served in the Japan's Manchukuo Imperial Army as an officer of the Gando Special Forces, which was established to expel anti-Japanese resistance forces, for three years.
There is no record about what Paik did in the special forces, but the unit, allegedly known for merciless and brutal military operations and its atrocities was highly admired within the Japanese empire.
Paik later confessed his pro-Japanese activities in his autobiography, published in Japanese, saying, "I believed what I did in the Gando Sepcial Forces was right to make the public more peaceful as soon as possible."
Recently, there was an attempt to promote Paik as an honorary general of the ROK Army, but this foundered due to his controversial past career.
It is obvious that he brought both credit and blemishes to Korean history, causing a number of controversies. Maybe, it is up to future generations to decide whether Paik will be listed as a great man or not.
For the future children of people now in their 20s, we have selected three worthy nominees who we think should have biographies published about them 30 years from now. Will your future children read them or throw them away?
 |
| Pop artist Seo Tai-ji |
Seo Tai-ji, 41, a popular rock musician and former leader of disbanded Korean legendary pop group Seo Tai-ji & Boys, has been acknowledged as a cultural icon since the 1990s, recording mega hits with almost all the songs he released.
He garnered a reputation not only from his trend-setting compositional skills but also with lyrics reflecting change in society, causing people to question their role in it.
One of his many hits was "Classroom Idea," which was released in 1994. The song rocked the nation with its heavy sound and lyrics that criticize the twisted and uniform Korean educational system.
When Seo Tai-ji & Boys disbanded in 1996, every news outlet here covered the story. Some distraught fans committed suicide after the group broke up. Culture critics coined a new term, the "Seo Tai-ji effect" to describe the cultural shock that hit Koreans. Literally, the whole country was affected by Seo Tai-ji.
After the breakup, he made his debut as a rock band frontman, and started to express freely what he really wanted to share with his listeners. He has released four albums since.
With his success and presence in the music industry in Korea, culture critics nicknamed him "the icon of pop culture." In 2004, he met former President Kim Dae-jung as an influential figure of the era and critics dubbed this encounter as "the meeting of the culture president and the country's president."
As he consolidated his absolute status as a pop artist in Korea, he began inviting famous foreign musicians into the country to jointly stage concerts. He introduced "rock festivasl" to Koreans who had rarely enjoyed such a concert style.
Seo has kept his life secret from the media, living abroad. It made the public curious about every move he made, while his fans thought that he was like a prince in a fairytale, removed from the people.
In 2011, he shocked the country saying that he secretly married actress E Ji-ah in 1997 and divorced in 2006. The revelation of the secret marriage between the "prince" and the rising actress showed his fans that he was also a person who falls in love, gets married and breaks up.
Last week, Seo stunned the country again by announcing his marriage to a 24-year-old actress through his official website.
While proving that he is still very active both musically and physically, the rocker is believed to have more to show than he already has. That's why he should be the subject of a biography in 30 years, not now.
 |
| Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee |
"Change everything except for your wife and children." Samsung Electronics CEO Lee Kun-hee made this statement in 1993 in Frankfurt. It was later called "the declaration in Frankfurt."
He made it after he saw a group of electricians trying to fix a defective washing machine using a replacement plastic pin. The sight struck him as so pathetic that he decided to develop Samsung into the No.1 phone maker in the world, he recalled in his book, "Samsung, 21st Century New Management Notes."
In a gesture that symbolizes his management approach, he gathered together all defective devices, piled them up, and set fire to them in front of his employees. Then he reportedly said, "We are not the maker of sub-par products anymore. That's not who we will be."
From that moment, Samsung changed. Under his leadership, the company became a top player with annual revenue above 200 trillion won ($178 billion) topping that of Microsoft.
However, while striving to make Samsung a high-profile global brand, Lee became the subject of a legal investigation. He was convicted of tax evasion charges in 2008, but pardoned by former President Lee Myung-bak in 2009.
Due to this, Chairman Lee stepped down from his post on April 22, 2008, but returned two years later. Now, Samsung is in full operation with Lee at the top of the chain of command, leading the global electronics market in sales of electronic goods and smartphones.
 |
| Korean War veteran Paik Sun-yup |
When someone's biography is written, there's nothing like the description "war hero" to help a person become recognized as an important person. Paik Sun-yup, South Korea's first four-star general, is one of the most striking figures from the 1950-53 Korean War among a slew of war heroes who fought in the conflict.
After North Korea started the war on June 25, 1950, Paik, then an Army colonel and commander of the 1st ROK Army Infantry Division, was assigned to defend Seoul and western frontline areas.
There is an anecdote about Paik's bravery in combat.
After they retreated to the southern defense line, the Nakdong River, Paik and his troops were demoralized because they were retreating and hungry.
He reportedly boosted the morale of the troops by saying, "While our country is collapsing, those guys (U.S. soldiers) are still fighting for us and for our people. We cannot go on like this. I'll lead. Just follow me. If I retreat, I am pleased to allow you guys to shoot me!"
Whether this rhetoric boosted his troops' morale or it just happened, under his command, his division made a huge contribution to the South, becoming the first to enter Pyongyang. He pushed the remaining soldiers from the North over the 38th parallel, the prewar boundary between the two Koreas.
In July 1952, a year before the war ended in an armistice, he was appointed as Army chief of staff at the age of 32.
After the war ended, Paik remained at the center of the nation where everything was ruined and devoted himself to modernizing Korea. He also established an orphanage who lost their parents during the war.
Before he left the army in 1960, he took the initiative, ensuring the service adopted cutting-edge weaponry. After retirement, he served as a diplomat to many countries, including France, Canada and Taiwan, and as a minister of transport.
Paik is still very active as the president of the Association of the Republic of Korea Army (AROKA) although he's over 90.
However, he is also regarded as a controversial figure due to pro-Japanese activities before the Korean War broke out.
Born in South Pyongan Province, now part of North Korea, in 1920, Paik served in the Japan's Manchukuo Imperial Army as an officer of the Gando Special Forces, which was established to expel anti-Japanese resistance forces, for three years.
There is no record about what Paik did in the special forces, but the unit, allegedly known for merciless and brutal military operations and its atrocities was highly admired within the Japanese empire.
Paik later confessed his pro-Japanese activities in his autobiography, published in Japanese, saying, "I believed what I did in the Gando Sepcial Forces was right to make the public more peaceful as soon as possible."
Recently, there was an attempt to promote Paik as an honorary general of the ROK Army, but this foundered due to his controversial past career.
It is obvious that he brought both credit and blemishes to Korean history, causing a number of controversies. Maybe, it is up to future generations to decide whether Paik will be listed as a great man or not.
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