All unhappy ex-presidents

By Moo-jong Park

The sad history of former presidents of the Republic of Korea continues to break the hearts of the people.

Disgraced Park Geun-hye, the first-ever head of state impeached for bribery three weeks ago, will stand criminal trial either under or without physical detention sooner or later.

She is one of the 11 former presidents who lived or are living unfortunate lives after their forced or legal retirement, except for her father, Park Chung-hee (1917-1979) who was assassinated by his top intelligence officer while in office.

Nineteen years ago in 1998, the caption of an AP photo read: "President Clinton, among others, looks on as Nancy Reagan, wife of former President Ronald Reagan, speaks during the dedication ceremony for the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington D.C. The 87-year-old Reagan, who has been battling Alzheimer's diseases, did not attend."

The photo of the dedication ceremony on May 8, for the first federal building in the U.S. capital for governmental and private organizations in honor of the former president, had reminded me of the unhappy ex-presidents of our nation.
The post-White House life of Jimmy Carter who served from 1977 to 1981 also makes a good comparison with those of our former presidents.

President Jimmy Carter failed, but former President Carter succeeded.

As a mediator for international conflicts, an esteemed human rights crusader and a contributor to the Habitat for Humanity movement in his leisure time, Carter won the coveted Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

Armed with a hammer and nails, the former leader with his silvery hair and toothy smile has devoted himself to helping homeless people around the globe and working for world peace and enhancing human rights.

Our presidents _ Syngman Rhee, Yun Po-sun, Park Chung-hee, Choi Kyu-hah, Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo, Kim Young-sam, Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye ― also ended their political careers in failure, but they were or are not successful, too, as former presidents.

Though feeling so bad, let's look back on the lives of our former presidents, from whom we have not taken any lessons yet.

The founder of the ROK, Dr. Syngman Rhee (1875-1965) was ousted from his 12-year presidency over his suppression of democracy by the April 19 Students' Revolution in 1960. He flew to Hawaii on May 29 and died there five years later.

Rhee's successor Yun Po-sun (1897-1990), elected president under the parliamentary cabinet system, was forced to resign less than a year after then-Major Gen. Park Chung-hee seized power in the May 16 coup in 1961.

After Park's shocking death on Oct. 26, 1979, Choi Kyu-hah (1919-2006), who took over the presidency unexpectedly, was pressured to quit several months later by Gen. Chun Doo-hwan who came to power in the May 17 coup in 1980. Choi lived in seclusion, isolating himself from the outside world until his death.

Chun (1931-) and his Korea Military Academy classmate and successor Roh Tae-woo (1932-) spent two years behind bars after their retirement. Chun was sentenced to death for treason and Roh was given 22 and a half years in prison for corruption, but their sentences were commuted.

Their successor Kim Young-sam (1927-2015), who sent his predecessors to prison through retroactive legislation and retaliation against his political foes, was the target of public anger for the unprecedented financial crisis that forced the nation to the brink of moratorium in 1997, the final year of his term.

The next president Kim Dae-jung (1924-2009) was "successful" in his early years in office by winning the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize, but his "Sunshine Policy" toward North Korea eventually failed and his sons' corruption convictions outraged the public.

Kim's successor, Roh Moo-hyun (1946-2009), the sensational winner in the 2003 presidential election, committed suicide in May 2009, 15 months into his retirement, by jumping from a cliff behind his home, over suspicions of bribery while in office.

Many U.S. presidents, including Bill Clinton, were troubled by various scandals while in office. But Americans chose to focus on their achievements after they left the White House. As for their wrongdoings, they are recorded in history and continue to exist as lessons for newcomers to the presidency.

That Clinton sent Air Force One to pick up Nancy Reagan and facilitate her participation in the ceremony makes us think of many things.

When will we be able to see such a beautiful scene? Such gestures will never occur without respect and reconciliation.

It is so sad to see Park Geun-hye "keep the unhappy tradition" of our former presidents.

When will we be able to see a former president like Barack Obama who enjoys his life after retirement, visiting the National Gallery of Art in Washington wearing a brown leather jacket and Levis jeans?

The new president will be elected in 38 days on May 9.

It's the role and responsibility of the people to find a new leader who should not follow in the footsteps of his predecessors.

Park Moo-jong is the Korea Times adviser. He served as the president-publisher of the nation's first English newspaper founded in 1951 from 2004 to 2014 after he worked as a reporter of the daily since 1974. He can be reached at moojong@ktimes.com or emjei29@gmail.com.