[Opinion] Chong Nam Dae

A vacation is time of refreshing and replenishing for everyone, even for a president of the country. Apart from all his duties, the president can have a brief period of respite and find some tranquility in his mind so that he can take on the taxing job again. This must be why leaders in almost every country make it a rule to go on a vacation by taking some time out from the tight schedule. George W. Bush takes dozens of days off throughout a year to visit his private ranch Crawford in Texas. There, he sometimes needs to make key decisions, but most time he tries to take a good rest.

Presidents in this country have also taken a short vacation in summer or during holidays. President Lee Seung-man used to visit Hwajinpo Summerhouse in Gwangwon-do, and Jeon Du-hwan used to spend some time in Jeodo in Jinhae, Gyeongnam-do. Since then, presidents mostly went down to Chong Nam Dae, the presidential retreat built near Daechung Lake in Chungbuk-do. The retreat came after Jeon visited the area for the groundbreaking ceremony of Daechung Dam and said `I like to have a summerhouse near this lake.` The summerhouse was opened in 1983, but Jeon and his successor Roh still visited the so-called local Chong Wae Daes built during the time of Park Jung-hee. Presidential guesthouses were set up in Busan, Jeju and Jeonju, and Gwangju and Daegu had separate quarters for a president within their government complexes. But President Kim Young-sam ordered closure of all those local Chong Wa Dae except Chong Nam Dae after he came to power.

Chong Nam Dae is not just a summerhouse but also a place offering solitude and tranquility essential for presidential decisions. Presidents Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung often visited this place whenever things did not work well or they needed some time to think. Kim Young-sam went to this place before he made his decision about the real-name banking transactions and the arrest of former presidents. It is said that Kim Dae-jung wrote his Independence Day speeches in this retreat. The press, therefore, has kept a close eye on presidents whenever they visited this place. While the press in other countries covers the story of the president taking a rest such as golfing and fishing, ours is more focused on the story of the president making a big decision.

Now, the presidential retreat is stealing the spotlight again. This time, however, it is because President Roh decided to return Chong Nam Dae to local residents. Chong Wae Dae says that there will be no more presence of heavy guard around the area, which has caused inconvenience to local residents. People, on their part, are showing great interest in what this place will be like in the future. The decision is welcoming in that it meets the demand of local residents. And we now hope that Chong Nam Dae, which has long been a subject of complaints, will be turned into friendly and helpful space for people in Chungcheong-do.

Song Young-ean, Editorial Writer, youngeon@donga.com