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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 5, 2016)
ASIA / PACIFIC Page 4 n THE ASIAN REPORTER December 5, 2016 Syngman Rhee (1948-1960) A U.S.-educated Christian leader who campaigned for Kore- an liberation from Japanese colonial rule, Rhee became South Korea’s founding president in 1948, with help from Washing- ton. Rhee staged vigorous cam- paigns to fight communism but later turned authoritarian and, critics say, resorted to corruption and nepotism to cling to power. He won his fourth presidential term in 1960 amid widespread allegations of vote rigging. Nationwide student demonstra- tions forced him to flee to Hawai‘i, where he died in 1965. AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File AP Photo/Yun Jai-hyoung, File CORRUPTION & SCANDAL. If there’s one thing South Korean presidents dread more than the looming threat of rival North Korea, it may be this: becoming an ex-president. Nearly all former presidents, or their family members and key aides, have been embroiled in scandals at the close of their terms or after leaving office. There have been corruption allegations, coups, and even a suicide and an assassination. Pictured are former presidents (L-R) Syngman Rhee (1948-1960), Roh Tae-woo (1988-1993), Chun Doo-hwan (1980- 1988), and Roh Moo-hyun (2003-2008). His mismanagement of the eco- bribes from a businessman Park Chung-hee (1961-1979) remote Buddhist temple as calls mounted to punish him for nomy, however, helped precipi- during his presidency. A former Japanese colonial corruption and human-rights tate the 1997-1998 financial cri- Roh’s older brother was sen- army lieutenant and primary abuses. sis that toppled some of the tenced in 2009 to two-and-a-half school teacher, Maj. Gen. Park country’s debt-ridden conglomer- years in prison for influence ped- Roh Tae-woo (1988-1993) took power in a coup in 1961, ates and forced the government dling during Roh’s presidency. Roh, Chun’s army buddy and which ended a brief period of to accept a $58 billion bailout He was later pardoned. civilian rule after Rhee resigned. handpicked successor, won the Roh was impeached in 2004 on Park, the father of the current 1987 election, thanks largely to from the International Monetary Fund. allegations of incompetence and president, was credited with divided votes among opposition He left office amid rock-bottom illegal electioneering. But the laying the foundation for South candidates. He presided over the popularity with his son arrested impeachment triggered a strong Korea’s economic growth. But his 1988 Seoul Olympics. and jailed for corruption. public backlash that helped his In 1995, both Chun and Roh critics point out that he also party win big in parliamentary Kim Dae-jung (1998-2003) arrested and tortured dissidents. were arrested on charges of He was assassinated by his spy collecting hundreds of millions of Sentenced to death by a elections. The Constitutional chief during a drinking party in dollars from businessmen while military tribunal under Chun, Court then ruled that his actions in office. They were also indicted Kim rose to the presidency and did not warrant removal from 1979. Chun Doo-hwan (1980-1988) on mutiny and treason charges held an unprecedented summit office. Maj. Gen. Chun and his mili- stemming from Chun’s coup and with North Korean leader Kim Lee Myung-bak (2008-2013) Toward the end of his term, tary cronies rolled tanks and a bloody 1980 crackdown that Jong Il in 2000; he was awarded Lee, who campaigned on an troops into Seoul to seize power in killed hundreds of pro-democracy the Nobel Peace Prize that year. He left office tainted by anti-corruption platform, a coup that ended the interim protesters in the southern city of corruption scandals involving watched his only son and an elder government of acting President Gwangju. Chun was sentenced to death aides and all three of his sons and brother come under fire for Choi Kyu-hah. Chun had himself elected and Roh to 22 1/2 years in jail. dubious cash remittances to alleged irregularities in funding president in a gymnasium filled They were pardoned in December North Korea shortly before his Lee’s retirement home. Another brother was arrested historic inter-Korean summit. with a pro-government elector- 1997. on separate allegations of taking Roh Moo-hyun (2003-2008) ate. In 1987, massive pro-democ- Kim Young-sam (1993-1998) racy demonstrations forced him Kim’s election formally ended Roh committed suicide in 2009, bribes from bankers and served a to accept a constitutional revision military rule. He arrested Chun a year after leaving the 14-month prison term. Lee called the corruption for direct presidential elections. and Roh and launched a widely presidential Blue House, amid After his tenure ended, Chun popular anti-corruption cam- allegations that his family scandals involving family and spent two years in exile in a paign. members took $6 million in aides “heartbreaking.” FREE HOME REPAIRS FOR PORTLAND SENIOR & DISABLED HOMEOWNERS Plumbing l Electrical l Carpentry Call (503) 501-5719 or visit https://reachcdc.org Portland Housing Bureau AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — If there’s one thing South Korean presidents dread more than the looming threat of rival North Korea, it may be this: becoming an ex-president. Nearly all former presidents, or their family members and key aides, have been embroiled in scandals at the close of their terms or after leaving office. There have been corruption allegations, coups, and even a suicide and an assassination. Now, South Korean prosecu- tors say they believe current President Park Geun-hye, facing historic levels of unpopularity approaching her last year in office, conspired in the criminal activities of a confidante who allegedly exploited her presi- dential ties to force businesses to donate money to two foundations she controlled. Here’s a look at the troubles faced by South Korean presidents over the years: AP Photo/George Sweers, File South Korea’s presidents make disgraced exits Interpretation services available Tu Phan Call for: Refinances Purchases Offering: FHA/VA/Conventional Mortgages NMLS # 1071 MLO # 7916 12550 S.E. 93rd Avenue Suite 350 Clackamas, OR 97015 (503) 496-5718 <tphan@financeofamerica.com> <www.financeofamerica.com> Philippine court urged to order remains of Marcos exhumed MANILA, The Philippines (AP) — Human-rights vic- tims who suffered during the rule of Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos filed petitions asking the Supreme Court to order the exhumation of his remains that were buried November 18 at the country’s Heroes’ Cemetery. They also wanted the court to hold officials and his heirs in contempt for carrying out the burial before the court heard final appeals against it. Former President Fidel Ramos, who played a key role in the peaceful army-backed revolt that ousted Marcos in 1986, called the former leader’s burial at the military-run cemetery “an insult” to the sacrifices of soldiers and veterans. Left-wing former lawmaker Saturnino Ocampo and other activists urged the court to hold Imelda — the widow of Marcos — their three children, defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana, and two military officials in contempt for “the hasty, shady, and tricky” burial of the long-dead president at Heroes’ Cemetery. The petition said they should be fined and detained for mocking the legal process that gave petitioners 15 days to appeal the court’s November 8 ruling allowing the burial. Opposition representative Edcel Lagman, who repre- sents another group of petitioners, sought a court order to have the remains exhumed “because the hasty and sur- reptitious interment was premature, void, and irregular.” He asked that the remains be examined to determine if they are not a wax replica. The secrecy-shrouded burial at the cemetery reserved for presidents, soldiers, and national artists shocked democracy advocates and human-rights victims, prompting street protests in Manila and other cities. Marcos’s rule was marked by massive rights violations and plunder. After being ousted in 1986, he flew to Hawai‘i, where he lived with his wife and children until he died in 1989. Groups opposed to the burial called for a national day of protest at Manila’s Rizal Park and in other parts of the country. Organizers urged Filipinos to join the protest and hold President Rodrigo Duterte accountable for allowing the burial and the Supreme Court for obscuring “the crimes of the dictator.” COVERT BURIAL. Human-rights victims who suffered during the rule of Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos have filed petitions asking the Supreme Court to order the exhumation of his remains that were buried November 18 at the country’s Heroes’ Cemetery in suburban Taguig city, east of Manila, the Philippines. They also want the court to hold officials and his heirs in contempt for carrying out the burial before the court heard final appeals against it. Pictured are supporters of Marcos attending a mass at the graveyard of the late dictator a day after he was buried in a secrecy-shrouded ceremony. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) Ramos, 88, who led soldiers in turning against Marcos in 1986, told reporters the burial was an insult and a “trivialization of the role, the sacrifices of our armed forces, (police), coast guard, veterans.” Ramos, a supporter of Duterte, expressed hope that Imelda will apologize to the Filipino people and contribute whatever ill-gotten wealth remains with the family to help compensate human-rights victims and their descendants. Also in late November, the Philippine government’s top historian resigned to protest the president’s decision to allow the burial of the dictator in the cemetery. Maria Serena Diokno said in her resignation letter that she would join protests against the burial. Diokno, who was chairwoman of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, said Duterte could have blocked the burial despite a Supreme Court decision that dismissed petitions against the entombment. Diokno said the burial was wrong and “mocks the collective action we took to oust the dictator.”
