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.

When I said that this country needs a leader with real LEADERSHIP, Chun and Roh TW were far from my mind.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

hahaha You just described Park, Chun, and Roh TW

All this under a sound and vibrant democracy.

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.

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.

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.

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

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…

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.