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Former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun with former US President George W. Bush at the White House on June 10, 2005. (provided by the Roh Moo-hyun foundation)
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Former US president to bring portrait of Roh painted by himself
Former US President George W. Bush will be attending a service commemorating the 10th anniversary of the death of former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and delivering an address at the service, which will be held at Bongha Village, in Jinyeong Township, Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, at 2 pm on May 23. Bush will reportedly be bringing along a portrait of Roh that he painted himself, which will be on display during the service. The friendship between the two presidents, both born in 1946, appears to remain strong even after Roh’s death. The Roh Moo-hyun Foundation announced on May 19 that Bush had agreed to deliver the memorial address at the service. “There were originally supposed to be two memorial addresses, delivered by Speaker of the National Assembly Moon Hee-sang and Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon, but seeing as Bush is traveling such a distance, he will be delivering the first address,” foundation staff said. “Our understanding is that Bush will also be bringing a portrait of Roh that he has painted himself,” foundation staff added. Roh was in office from February 2003 to February 2008, while Bush served two terms as president, from January 2001 to January 2009. As a result, Bush was in the White House throughout Roh’s presidency. Roh met with Bush a total of 10 times, including eight summits, during his presidency. A number of major decisions were made by these two individuals, including the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement and the deployment of South Korean troops to Iraq. While Bush and Roh had their political differences, they succeeded at dealing with bilateral issues without any major friction. Since his retirement, Bush has turned to painting, with his works appearing in print and being displayed in exhibitions. During the memorial address, Bush is expected to recall his memories of Roh and celebrate his accomplishments, with Korean interpretation provided during the service. “Bush is planning to arrive in South Korea on May 21 and attend the memorial service for Roh on May 23. The Roh Moo-hyun Foundation is preparing to greet Bush upon his arrival. We’ll be announcing the exact itinerary and events on May 22, the day before the memorial service,” a foundation staffer added. By Choi Sang-won, South Gyeongsang correspondent, and Seo Young-ji, staff reporter Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
