Former South Korean President Choi Kyu-hah died Sunday at the age of 88, his family and officials at a Seoul hospital said.
If you had to think for a while to remember him, you are not alone. His was a very transitional term:
Choi became acting president in October 1979 when Park [Chung-hee] was assassinated by his security chief and won a December election later that year to become the country’s fourth president, leading the 10th administration.
But he was forced to step down following a 1980 military coup by Chun Doo-hwan who later became the fifth president.
Choi had worked his way up through the Park Chung-hee administration in the 1960s and 70s before becoming prime minister in 1976.
BTW, the other ‘bar bet’ president was Yun Bo-seon, who served from 1960 to 1962.
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29 Comments
Foul play. This guy knew too much of the sinister machinations South and North Korea had planned if Jimmy Carter had won a second term and continued to pull USFK from Korea.
he’s an asshole. He died with a lot of secrets. A lot of stuff that people had a right to know of.
I used to think Chun and Rho were extremely bad characters, storming into the Blue house and arresting Choi and all. However, seeing what happened since then and Pres. Kim Daejung and Pres. Rho, I think they did the right thing.
See how Korea turned quickly into a vassal state for NK? American troops are leaving and Koreans seem to be happy with that. What a stupid people ( I can say this because I am a KoreanAmerican)! When the US leaves, what they are gonna do? Kiss KJI’s ass and belong to the Chinese Empire? F*** that.
Americans are leaving. Prepare for Korean War II. Or, just surrender to KJI and live in Communist hell. What a choice!
When Choi first became the president, he talked about the exact thing; better relation with NK, less repression for pro-North sympathizers(Commies) and inclusion of these Commies into political process.
Chun and Rho did delay this abominable idea till ten years later. I applaud them. They did the right thing in kicking this Commie-sympathizer to house-arrest.
I even think they gave up too early. They should have held on to the power. They gave power back to Korean people and people elected Kim Daejung (the known Commie) and his lieutenant (Rho). These two oppressed the pro-American faction while giving governmental support to the pro-KJI faction. The Commies invaded the school system, educating the young to be anti-American, even to the extent of AlCaida.
Now Korea is a confused country. It is anti-American, anti-Japanese, anti-Chinese and pro-KJI. Fucking assholes. The country is ripe for KJI to invade thinking that Koreans want unification under him. Korean War, all over again.
Only way for Korea to enjoy democratic government and freemarket economy is to have Chun and Rho again. Military dictator should emerge and put Kim Daejung and Rho Muhyun under house arrest. And, fire all Commie teachers. Put some of them in jail.
Korea needs to radically change its course to survive. With American troops leaving, Korea is on its way to total destruction. The coming power struggle between China and Japan and its self-destructive brothers in North will make sure of SK’s destruction. You can bet your house on that.
Kim Dae jung went to NK and promised KJI economic assistance and mutual cooperation. That is what is on the newspaper. The reality is that Kim started to pay “protection money” to KJI, while he is taking good cut as the middle man. Basically this SOB sold SK out. Yes, he is the biggest traitor of the Republic of Korea!
And, you know what happens when you start paying “protection money”. It will only increase year after year! Pres. Rho has been paying the protection money in the form of rice, Gaesung development, Gumgang trip assistance, and fertilizers(this can be turned into other chemicals, like bomb materials and chemical weapons). He is also sending money in various “hidden” means. I bet the whole “protection money” is about 10% of Korean budget.
Next year, with nuke bombs in NK, the protection may go up to 20%. And, it does not matter even Hannara comes into power. Would you risk a war, or pay 30% of national budget? I think even up to 50% of budget is worth the money if the war can be averted.
See the danger of talking to these Commies? Some US jerks are saying that Bush should talk to KJI. Fucking idiots. Do not talk to KJI who is nothing but a front man for the Chinese. Kick Hu’s ass instead! If America starts to talk to KJI, KJI will only demand “protection money” and increase it year after year. Fuck KJI and any SK peons who support “dialog”! Kill ‘em.
Do not talk to terrorists! KJI is a big terrorist. Do not talk to him, just kick his boss, the Chinese. Kick Hu’s balls. Threaten economic sanctions against China, if Hu does not control his dog, KJI.
Meanwhile, thanks to Kim DaeJung, whole SK is being held hostage to KJI. And, due to fucking hostage syndrom( I forgot the exact name), some SKs love KJI. They like the united Korea under KJI. Kill ‘em. Kill Commies before it is too late.
Democratic government and freemarket economy…under Chun and Noh!? Heck you could have Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton the Adams cousins, and Thomas Paine in the Blue House and there wouldn’t be a liberal free-market democracy in Korea. As zero-sum gamers Koreans don’t believe in either. It took an IMF-mandated program to open up the place, and it isn’t all that open. Koreans need a good whack upside their heads to knock all those conspiracy theories out of them.
Baduk, it’s the
Stockholm Syndrome.
Chun and Noh’s dictatorship is still better than Communism. Korea is heading toward total destruction and/or Communist rule. I will take dictatorship any day.
Once they let people have the power, Commies took control. See how the country changed to anti-American and pro-North? Only thing lies ahead for Korea is total destruction.
I would also take capitalistic dictatorship over Kim Jong Il, but Baduk seems to have missed out on the news of Chun Doo Hwan’s son, claiming the legitimacy of his astronomical earnings, claiming that his maternal grandfather made money in stocks, bonds, and property for him. Son of *****. Lying bastard. Hope he goes to jail, along with Kim Dae Jung. The Roh Tae Woo family, and the present Roh Moo Hyun family. Kim Yong Sam did the right thing. Locking them up. His undoing was his own son being caught red handed, and his rival coming along and undoing the only good that he had done in office.
Nice to know that Baduk can turn news of the passing of a former South Korean president into a diatribe over the stupidity of South Korean politicians in order to push his apologist views of the excesses of the previous dictatorships. Next, he’ll be regaling us with tales of how all the bad behavior of the Rhee presidency was perfectly justified, since Rhee was fighting a war against communism at the time.
Hey, I am not apologizing for dictatorship nor small bribes. I can talking about KimDaejung selling out the Republic of Korea to KJI. I am talking about the whole thing!
You will see it coming true in less than ten years. Entire Korea will server KJI! Then, you guys will see it my way; Kim SOB Daejung sold Korea to KJI. That SOB!
The US will pull out of Korea in less than three years. SK will become an orphan in the woods then. Things will be very different then, when the US no longer protects Korea.
Korea will be fucked big time.
Korea will have to beg for its existance. It has to pay, pay and pay to Kim Jongil. Japan and China will slap Korea around, taking this and that. Korea has to take it lying down. What can it do? Start a war? Against whom, Korea can win? Fuck.
When did things go wrong? Kim SOB Daejung. He turned Korea from a “protectorate” of the US to a bare-bussomed virgin in the prison. Only things that will happen to Korea is continuous penetrations by its neighbors, its brother in the North being the first and the biggest raper. Korea will be fucked by everybody in the neighborhood, including NK, China, Japan and Russia.
Korea will be fucked, fucked and fucked again.
May He Rest In Peace.
Former South Korean President Choi GyuHa
(July 16, 1919 - October 22, 2006)
A true victim of military coup lead by Hanahoe (하나회) & Chun Doohwan.
Chun actually did a pretty good job running SK given the circumstances. The economy was booming, and the country was stable and very anti-NK. Same thing under Roh (Tae woo). I am not against military dictatorship either, if it is anti-communist, anti-NK, pro-capitalist (with nationalist priorities over free trade) and purges liberals and leftists from government, schools, media, etc. I’m not a fan of democracy anyway, although I don’t advocate destroying the present system.
This mercantilist orientation — the ROK version of juche — is why there will be no FTA, and a principal reason that there is not likely to be much substantive improvement in US-ROK relations even if the GNP wins the next set of elections.
Baduk
You’re an asshole.
You are supposed to post some expression of sympathy and yet…
As you watch things happening in next five years as the US withdraw from Korea, you will come to realize how weak Korea is. How helplessly she will be taken advantage of. How the country itself will be split between different factions.
The country will be in the same shape as Korea was at the beginning of 20th century, surrounded by evil neighbors who want to eat of Korea. Eventually, Japan took Korea.
This time, it will be China. China will eat up SK, siphone off all major industries and combine SK with NK and put KJI in charge of the United Korea( a giant Gulak as NK is now). SKs will have no say in this. “Either you do what China wants, or you are all dead”. Period.
The United Korea has too many former military men who may rise up against China. To avoid this, China will tell KJI to attack Japan. Many Koreans will die fighting Japan in a nuclear war. Seoul will be totally obliterated and no one will live there for decades because of nuclear waste and radiation.
Only bad things wait Korea. Korea is doomed when Kim SOB Daejung sold out the country to KJI.
I am not against military dictatorship either, if it is anti-communist, anti-NK, pro-capitalist (with nationalist priorities over free trade) and purges liberals and leftists from government, schools, media, etc. I’m not a fan of democracy anyway, although I don’t advocate destroying the present system.(emphasis added)
This mercantilist orientation — the ROK version of juche — is why there will be no FTA, and a principal reason that there is not likely to be much substantive improvement in US-ROK relations even if the GNP wins the next set of elections.
I disagree completely. Anti-communist military rule in pro-US regimes is not inconsistent with the strategic interests of the US. There is ample evidence of this in the historical record. SK is in big trouble in the coming years. Democracy has its pitfalls - look at politicians like KDJ and Roh MH. Sometimes a coup is necessary to bring stability and order to a faltering society.
LeoStauss: we’re supposed to serve up an expression of sympathy? why? because of some kind of convention? what kind of bullshit is that?
i’m all for being nice and civil but if i guy can’t express his opinion because he first has hide behind your bullshit conventions about being nice… like i said, that’s bullshit. and speaking of expressing your opinion….
Baduk: Why don’t you stop pulling your punches and tell us what you REALLY think?
baduk, I have to disagree with your line of reasoning.
Yes, the current Roh administration is an incompetent administration that has no idea on how to run this country, but the Chun and Roh regimes were no better.
The Chun regime killed a lot of innocent people in the name of anti-Communism, and laid the foundation for the problems afflicting today’s Korea, such as the real estate bubble, prostitution, and the proliferation of private tutoring. The Roh regime well was a carryover of the Chun regime so need to mention further. In terms of trade, they were no friends of free trade since they strongly believed that closed markets are necessary for economic growth. On top of that they believed in strong state control of the economy which combined with their chaebol policy more or less set the ground for the IMF crisis.
So for me I rather not go back to the dark days of the military dictatorship and turning back the clock is not the answer to Korea’s problems.
What this country needs is a leader who can show REAL leadership, tackle the internal problems of this country, ensure continued economic growth, build a strong defense posture that not only defends Koreans here in Korea but also overseas, and implement a sound foreign policy that not only benefits Korea but also here allies.
All this under a sound and vibrant democracy.
Of course when this type of leader will appear is anybody’s guess.
re no 19
It’s an obit, for god’s sake
we should be doing along the lines of no. 13
“JiMong wrote:
Gravatar
May He Rest In Peace.
Former South Korean President Choi GyuHa
(July 16, 1919 - October 22, 2006)”
or maybe
Requiescat in Pace
if you want to discuss his politics and bash him, do it in another time, in another post.
jeez, the man just died…
re: No.21 LeoStrauss
why did you forget the other asshole “wjk” (post no.2).
Hey you “wjk”, if you can’t show some respect for the dead then shut your face
Choi Kyu-hah (1919-2006)
RIP
mins0306,
I disagree with you. Many of economical problems you have mentioned have nothing to do with those administrations. And, Korea can have IMF again when Japanese banks again withdraw their investments from Asia.
What I am dead against is that inclusion of Commies into political process. Once these Commies gained political stature they continued their propaganda toward the young and they are winning. Chun and Noh kept these Commies out of political arena. And, I appreciate that.
I believe Korean constitution clearly states any force or individuals who are against the free society and democracy and those who work to overthrow the government of the Republic of Korea must be arrested or killed. I think these Commies are working for KJI and want to overthrow the government of the Republic of Korea. These Commies should be arrested and/or shot. Many should be deported to North Korea.
When individuals like Choi GyuHa and Kim Dae Jung(who actually contacted KJI behind people back and worked out a secret payment schedule) allowed these Commies into mainstream society, these Commies corrupted the young. As the result, Korea became anti-American and pro-KJI.
Kill these Commies and re-educate the young!
Otherwise, Korea will belong to KJI.
Yeah, I’m an asshole, sorry about that. Rest in peace, Mr. Choi.
baduk,
I don’t like the leftists either, but doing a witch hunt isn’t the answer either. If the ROK government and people go around arresting and killing lefties or commies, then how are we different from KJI, who kills and imprisons his opponents on a whim.
And what if this whole thing goes out of control, what will stop the ROK government and people from persecuting innocent people. Knowing Koreans, I’m sure more than a few people will not hesitate from turning in people who they have a grudge against but are not commies at all.
Yes, the leftist have entered the political and education mainstream and are peddling their twisted logic, but not all Koreans have bought the leftist garbage. And I’m sure that will remain so. Look how much seats the DLP has in the National Assembly. As for the Uri, the party will melt away as soon as Roh leaves office. The same goes for the Hanchongryeon, most college students are more interested in graduating and getting a good job and enjoying life during their college years than getting mixed up with the leftist Hanchongryeon wackos.
As for anti-Americanism, it is more a product of senseless Korean nationalism then leftism. Koreans have this idea that the Americans are out to get them, they are not getting the respect they deserve from the Americans, etc etc.
If Koreans act like mature human beings in their everyday lives and the ROK government drops its brainless and childish foreign policy among others, I’m sure, like Japan, we will be respected by the Americans, and just maybe this senseless nationalism will fade away. Of course this is just wishful thinking.
They were working in much different circumstances. Remember this was more than 20 yrs ago when SK had a low-ranked economy. Their main priority was economic growth while keeping the country anti-communist. Their methods were expedient and harsh, but necessary at that time. So sure, there were bound to be negative by-products, but they got the job done anyway. I don’t fault Chun or Roh TW for all that stuff you mentioned (except the part about personal corruption, but then that’s no different in democracies under Kim, Kim, and Roh so it’s not a problem unique to military dictatorships).
Killing lots of people is regrettable but necessary considering SK’s harsh circumstances. SK was created on the blood of millions of innocent Korean people. It could not have been otherwise. Would you rather that Korea have been a Soviet-occupied regime under KIS & KJI? Because that’s what would have happened if the country hadn’t been divided. Then there would be no Korea today that is free and prosperous.
I don’t think military dictatorship should be a permanent solution either. But it’s not the evil that everyone makes it out to be. It has to be acknowledged that without military dictatorship, SK would not be where it is today. Park Chung Hee was SK’s greatest leader.
hahaha You just described Park, Chun, and Roh TW
I think Lee Myung Bak is the best candidate of the field. IMO, the political governing system has to be consistent with the country’s inherent values and culture. i.e, it must reflect the Confucious, patriarchal, and hierarchical nature of Korean society.
kojin,
When I said that this country needs a leader with real LEADERSHIP, Chun and Roh TW were far from my mind.
Sure Park can be credited with a lot of good things, and if he didn’t do the yushin thing then he would probably be the most respected president of the ROK.
But Chun and Roh TW? Chun helped lay the foundation for the real estate bubble that has made housing prices exorbitant, among others. He despite being a former military man, did little to bolster the ROK’s defenses instead prefering to depend on the USFK (Heck ROK’s defense modernization didn’t take off until the 1990s). I also don’t remember any inspiring things about his foreign policies.
And yes times were tough during the 1950s,60s, and the 70s. There was the Korean War and a lot of lives were lost but to justify the cold blooded killing of innocent people during peace time by saying that it was necessary…. Who are you kojin to dare justify the spilling of innocent blood by saying that it was necessary?
Yes sacrifices were made so Korea could be prosperous and some were necessary, but spilling of innocent blood so that the military dictatorship could hold on to power isn’t one of them
They would be the wrong leaders today, but they were good for their time. They had simple, well-defined goals, and they carried them out generally well.
Korea didn’t need democracy in the 60s and 70s. What they needed was a strong, authoritarian ruler with vision and ruthless determination, which is what Park was. The sole purpose of those elections back then was to provide cover for Park’s rule; they weren’t ever seriously meant to produce a different outcome other than Park - because there was really no one other than Park who could effectively lead SK at that time.
With a still poor economy, and SK’s security situation uncertain (US pullout from SVietnam and SK, opening of relations with China), Yushin made sense, despite whatever excesses followed. Without Yushin, Park couldn’t have led SK, and SK would not be where it is today.
And that position is still a hell of a lot better than RMH’s position, which is to basically trash the US alliance while pleading with others to “understand” NK’s desire to acquire nukes. As for SK’s foreign policy back then, it didn’t need to go beyond maintaining the Cold War security alliance with the US and Japan. Meanwhile SK developped and prospered.
Like I said, there were negative by-products of their rule. While these were real problems, they pale in significance compared to the very serious threats facing SK right now. The very existence of SK is endangered - both from without and within.
It is threatened by a communist North, as well as a communist China that can destroy everything SK built over the last 4 decades.
It is threatened from within by the pervasive liberal/leftist influence in the media, schools, and government (a consequence of democracy, BTW) which is having a corrosive effect on the culture and internal society. Compared to all this, real estate bubbles and exorbitant housing prices look pretty trivial.
I have no sympathy for those Kwangju rioters. Their actions were totally unnecessary and if they had stayed home that day, there wouldn’t have been a need to bring out the troops to shoot them.
As far as I’m concerned, leftists and commies deserve to be shot. Because if they ever came to power, they wouldn’t waste time pondering whether or not to feel guilty over your death; they’d just shoot without a moment’s pause. Koreans have to know where their true interests lie if they expect to survive as a people and a nation.
kojin,
SK is screwed up as it is, and yes there are security issues, but its very existence is not in danger. I mean come on, a left-wing conspriracy to destroy this country? And the leftist are saying that the rightists are hoarding the country’s riches, enslaving the work force, and that SK will become an American colony. So many conspiracy theories.
Okay if the above leftists commit a crime(such as destroying government property), yes they should be charged, tried, and jailed, but if their only crime to you is believing in left wing policies and if you think that it is right to round up and shoot leftists, then how are you different than KJI(the man you despise), who on a whim jails and kills his opponents?
Also, your views to me and the way that you express them are no different than what the left wingers say about the right wingers. As a matter of fact, there are times when I think that they plan their moves from the same playbook.
Anyways, thanks to the democracy you despise, you can freely say that you admire Park, Chun, and Roh TW without having to worry about the KNP and the KIS coming after you, and I can freely say that I do not accept your views.
Although democracy has its faults it does have its advantages.