Former president Choi Kyu-ha died yesterday.
Choi occupied the Blue House during a turbulent period in the history of the Republic of Korea, from immediately after president Park Chung-hee was assassinated in 1979 to August of 1980. His presidency was marked by violence on the part of the "New Military" (Sin Gunbu) of Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, which instigated the military revolt of December 1979 and the Gwangju massacre in May of 1980. Choi was unable to fulfill his goals for his presidency because he was pushed around by the New Military, and he was unable to prevent the Gwangju tragedy. That is why he is remembered as the "unlucky president." Choi became acting president immediately after Park was assassinated on October 26, 1979, and on December 6 of that year he was approved as president by an electoral college that was created based on Park’s Yusin Constitution. His fortune as president took a turn for the worse, however, when elements of the military revolted six days later. He let an opportunity pass by, a chance to open a new era in history by channeling the desire for democracy shared by a country sick of dictatorship, and following the Gwangju massacre, he never had another chance. Once he resigned, he never once spoke of all that transpired while he was in office. He was twice the subject of a subpoena demanding his testimony: during court trials relating to the December 12, 1979 revolt and the Gwangju massacre. Each time he refused to talk. Instead, he told the court that it "would create problems for the management of government" if "former presidents later have to justify themselves or give testimony about actions relating to running the country." He maintained that position until the end. It would be hasty to issue final judgment on Choi as a president when we don’t know all of what happened while he was in office. But in the meantime, there are questions about history and its individuals that cry out for serious consideration. The tide of history is so powerful that it looks impossible for any one individual to stop. However, history bears witness to the fact that the courageous actions of a single individual can change the flow of history when backed by the burning desires of the masses. If Choi had possessed that kind of courage and sense of history, contemporary Korean history would have turned out very differently.Not acting at the decisive moment and not facing history with a modest attitude are entirely different matters. Not having courage just stops at having been unfortunate, but ignoring history is something that must not be repeated. The last courtesy we can afford former president Choi would be making sure we never have another president who stands before history and says nothing at all.
