hankyoreh

GIMHAE - Former President Roh Moo-hyun returned to his hometown of Bongha Village, South Gyeongsang Province, after ending his five-year term. Roh became a “citizen” again after stepping down from what he described as a “ political stage from which he had to act perfectly and make political decisions.”



Early on the morning of February 25, Roh left the presidential office to attend the inauguration ceremony of his successor, Lee Myung-bak. He then took a KTX bullet train heading for his hometown. In front of Seoul Station, in central Seoul, some 400 people bid farewell to the former president by chanting his name.

Approximately 160 former aides and presidential staff were on board the train, including: Lee Byung-wan and Moon Jae-in, former presidential chiefs of staff, Lee Jeong-woo, former senior presidential secretary for policy affairs, Lee Hae-chan, former prime minister, Lee Jae-jeong, former unification minister, and Rhyu Si-min, former health and welfare minister. When the train passed through Daejeon, 164 kilometers south of Seoul, Roh delivered words of encouragement to those on board by grabbing their hands and saying, “You went through a lot of hardship during this time.”

In a meeting with journalists, which took place on the train, Roh said, “I feel free and easy. First, I want to enjoy a life with no responsibilities for a while.” On the inauguration of President Lee, Roh said, “Why wouldn’t he do well? There’s no particular reason to think otherwise. He had tried to differentiate his administration from mine, but sooner or later, he may deplete government funds. As he said in his inauguration speech today, I hope that he will focus on politics and creative policy with his own vision and strategy,” Roh said.

Upon his arrival at Milyang Station, 384 kilometers south of Seoul, Roh received a warm welcome from some 1,500 people. He said the seeds he had planted during his administration would take root in the long term, and asked his supporters to nurture those roots in his absence.

People had decorated the 28-kilometer-long road from Milyang to Bongha Village with yellow balloons to welcome the former president, whose last name means “yellow” in Korean.

In the village, a party for Roh was held from 10:00 a.m. until late into the night. As the former president and his wife arrived, red smoke was sent up from a nearby mountain and thousands of yellow balloons filled the sky. Some 15,000 supporters and village residents gathered in front of a stage, where a signboard read: “We are proud of you.”

As Roh and his wife made their appearance on the stage, two first-grade students from Jinyeong Daechang Elementary School, Roh’s alma mater, welcomed them with a bunch of flowers. A series of performances followed, and a film about Roh’s life was also shown. Kim Tae-ho, the governor of South Gyeongsang province, made welcoming remarks.

The 1,500 seats in front of the stage were filled early in the day. A group of local residents that had organized the event provided beef soup with rice to some 10,000 visitors.

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