[Opinion] That bastard

The inauguration of the participatory government in early 2003 coincided with the emergence of a teenage author by the name of “Guiyeoni”- meaning cute girl. She published on the Internet a novel in a series titled, “That Bastard was Cool,” which sold over 200,000 copies within two months of its release. For the older generations, even the title was beyond their understanding. In the 1970s, singer Yang Hee-eun’s prime, the common expressions were “my love,” but nowadays they are not “my boyfriend” or “the guy” but “that bastard.” What a sea change? In a movie under the same title, Song Seung-heon played “that bastard” and made Internet generations go crazy. For them, “that bastard” was a regular word and a way of expressing their affection.

The president also mentioned “that bastard” in a Participatory Government Assessment Forum. While expressing his hope to discuss an opposition party contender’s election pledge of building a grand canal, he said, “That bastard constitution forbids discussion, so I should give up.” But the speech material released later said differently. Cheong Wa Dae Briefing, government web bulletin, made a premise that ‘it is refined to read at ease’ and the president’s remarks were changed to “The constitution forbids discussion, so I should give up.” Cheong Wa Dae officials seem to recognize “that bastard” as one of President Roh’s regular expressions, but not as an expression of his affection.

Everybody is fully aware of his way of talking. The prime example is “you don`t want to care about what lies before you.” When the public’s memory is still fresh with “I can no longer do my job as president”(May 21, 2003), this time he emphasized consistency, saying, “After he said he had made up his mind, and the next day, he said, ‘Oh my, I changed my mind.’ That’s absurd.” Is he consistent with “his ignorance of the constitution,” which was pointed out by the Constitutional Court in 2004, when he faced impeachment?

The fiction, “That Bastard was Cool” ends when that bastard starts living together with the main female character instead of tying the knot. When asked why the two were not married, the female character said, “I don’t want to ruin my life by marrying him.” That bastard remains that bastard however sweet the times with him may have been. It is okay for “the world-class president” to describe reporters as “the guys who scribble” to “achieve media reform with trust and responsibility.” However, his remarks of “that bastard constitution” cannot be tolerated. If he belittles the constitution of the Republic of Korea, he will also be belittled by the public.

Kim Sun-deok, Editorial Writer, yuri@donga.com