Stop passing the buck

Despite his disappointing handling of administration, Roh’s doubters gave the former president the benefit of doubt at least because he seemed to be ‘clean,’ and ‘different’ from the generally rotten political system.

But it turns out he is not that 'different' from the former presidents who got mired in a slew of corruption scandals after their terms when it comes to moral and integrity. Not only his relatives, but also his wife and sons are all revealed to have received slash money from a shoe tycoon.

Roh argued he didn’t know anything about the kickbacks delivered to his wife at the presidential blue house.

What shocks me most is the fact that he appears passing the buck onto his wife. It is not convincing at all that his wife received all this bribery behind his back. The businessman must have given billions of wons, expecting some business favors, which come from the president, not the first lady.

He should stop lying about what’s happened and come clean before it is too late.

Former president mired in corruption

He was heralded as a president who was ‘different’ from others. One thing that was shared not only by his fervent supporters but also by many doubters, was he would show a possibility of new, clean politics, unseen by past governments that were marred by corruptions.

For all the beliefs, what is now being displayed shocks everyone.

Billions of wons, to say the least, were known to have been handed in black money by his long-standing friend Park Yeon-cha, a shoe-making businessman, to Roh’s wife. He argues his wife asked Mr. Park the money without his knowledge to pay back some ‘debts’, but many doubt his argument.

Roh’s entire family, his wife, son, and brother, are mired in alleged corruptions, but he continues saying he knows nothing about the secret bribing activities surrounding his family. How come does he not know? How come does he think people would believe that he didn’t know? Is he saying Park give tens billions of wons to the Roh family without expecting any favors back?

It is not new a former president is mired in bribery scandals after his term. But what makes this scandal more disappointing is that he was elected on platform of breaking away from an old, dirty, and corrupt politics of which Koreans were sick and tired.

He is turing out to be no better than a crooked politician he famously and confidently declared to get rid of from the Korean political scene.

How sad.