April 10, 2008...4:43 pm
The Jimmy Carter of Korea
This is a funny story about former Korean President Roh. It seems tourists are constantly bothering him at his new home.
Since Roh Moo-hyun left office on Feb. 25 and returned to this village in the country’s southeast where he was born, he has become something South Koreans have never seen before: a former president as tourist attraction.
“Today, people were yelling outside from 9 a.m.,” Mr. Roh, 61, told a group of tourists gathered outside his home on a recent day. “Whether in office or retired, a president needs some privacy. All of you coming all the way to see me puts a big burden on me.
“I feel grateful. But I also feel sorry that I can’t shake hands with each one of you or invite you all in for tea.”
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And while past presidents have, like Mr. Roh, hailed from rural areas, they chose to make their homes in Seoul upon leaving office. The other four surviving former presidents now live under heavy police guard in the capital, where some meddle in domestic politics but none mingle with ordinary people.Mr. Roh, in contrast, rides his bicycle through Bongha, a village near the city of Kimhae. He plants trees and cleans ditches with farmers. He keeps a blog. And he has visitors, thousands of them, every day.
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“I am extremely busy,” he said. “I’ve got lots of things to do. When I was president, I slept at least six hours a day, no matter what, because it was my duty as head of state to keep in good health. But last night I slept less than five hours, staying up until 1 a.m. working. I feel free.”
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I enjoyed this story. It seems Roh has become the Jimmy Carter of Korean ex-Presidents. Carter was very unpopular when he left office and is also well-known for being accessible in his hometown of Plains, Georgia.
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