[Editorial] Pitiful President

President Roh Moo-hyun, who hosted an unscheduled news briefing yesterday over the scandal centered on former chief secretary on national policy Byeon Yang-gyun, said, “I don’t know what to say. I guess you know what it’s like to be deceived by someone that you strongly trust.” Perhaps, President Roh is baffled by Byeon, but it is important to note that we are also baffled by the president.

President Roh invited embarrassment over Byeon’s scandal by protecting his confidants no matter what while denouncing others who are not on his side with vulgar words. We are also embarrassed and baffled by the thought that the world is watching the pitiful situation of the president.

Cheong Wa Dae, which oversees the state affairs, is the symbol of officialdom. That’s why the government has a civil affairs team and an inspection team that monitors possible irregularities of the president’s close relatives and aides. Although President Roh also runs a presidential civil affairs office, it has barely managed to do its job. The cause for the failure can be found from its “factional mindset” and underqualified members, which is far from the determination to be upright. President Roh did not look at himself before judging others, not to mention his advisers.

Rhyu Si-min, the former minister of health and welfare and also the presidential hopeful of the United New Democratic Party, confessed yesterday in an interview with the Dong-A Ilbo, “Although I was given authority by the people, I worked like a freelance worker.” Byeon’s scandal illustrates how irresponsible the president and his aides have been. “A president either is constantly on top of events or, if he hesitates, events will soon be on top of him. I never felt that I could let up for a moment,” said former U.S. President Harry S. Truman. Each word and action of the president cannot be a private matter. That’s why the president is protected 24 hours a day by the presidential security office.

However, President Roh repeatedly acted as if he was a captive of his own emotions. When some of the media recently raised the suspicions on his confidants with firm grounds, he refuted the claims saying, “The suspicion may arise from my feud with the media. It’s like fiction.” His situation is now deplorable. Korea cannot afford to have another immature and pitiful president.