C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 000894

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/04/2019
TAGS: PGOV [Internal Governmental Affairs], KS [Korea (South)]
SUBJECT: POLITICAL FALLOUT OF ROH'S SUICIDE

REF: A. SEOUL 0821 (ROH COMMITS SUICIDE)
B. SEOUL 0596 (ROH'S WIFE AND SON QUESTIONED)

Classified By: POL M/C Joseph Y. Yun. Reasons 1.4 (b), (d).

¶1. (C) Summary: Within a day of former President Roh
Moo-hyun's May 23rd suicide (ref A), Roh's supporters were
blaming President Lee Myung-bak for hounding Roh to death
over allegations of bribery. Roh's supporters attempted to
mobilize tens of thousands of demonstrators for
anti-government rallies, but the police shut down the
efforts. The opposition Democratic Party (DP) will use Roh's
death to extend its success in blocking the ruling Grand
National Party (GNP) from carrying out its legislative
agenda. Roh's suicide, shocking though it was, did not
fundamentally alter the dynamics of unpopular ruling and
opposition parties deadlocked over implementing a vision of
Korea's future. It did, however, reveal a deep
disappointment among the public over the failure of Roh's
vision of a clean government working for common people based
on a shared vision for the future and not the divisive
regionalism of the past. End Summary.

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Murderer!
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¶2. (C) News of former President Roh Moo-hun's suicide on May
23 sparked intense feelings of anger directed at President
Lee Myung-bak. Roh's sympathizers accused Lee of conducting
a politically motivated investigation into allegations that
Roh had received more than US$6 million in bribes either
while in office (ref B) or immediately after leaving the Blue
House, and that the prosecutors had literally hounded Roh to
death. On April 30 Roh underwent the humiliation of being
summoned to the prosecutor's office for questioning about his
knowledge of money received by his wife and children.

¶3. (U) Moon Jae-in, Roh's former Chief of Staff, said,
"prosecutors had already decided Roh was guilty and then
investigated him to justify their conclusion, so there is
some truth in saying that this was a political killing."
Kang Geum-won, CEO of Changshin Textile and a long-time Roh
backer, said, "Roh died because of the prosecutors'
investigation, there is no other word than murder." National
Assembly Member Baek Won-woo heckled President Lee at the
funeral saying, "Apologize, political murderer!"

¶4. (U) Prosecutor General Lim Chae-jin, who was appointed by
Roh in 2007 and who was directing the investigation into
allegations of corruption against Roh, resigned under
pressure on June 4. DP leaders have also demanded the
resignation of the Justice Minister. Supporters of the Roh
investigation noted that prosecutors did not treat Roh
differently than any of his living predecessors. Former
Presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo both served time in
prison for corruption and former Presidents Kim Young-sam and
Kim Dae-joung were investigated for corruption, subsequently
their sons were convicted of taking bribes.

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Mass Demonstrations Unlikely
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¶5. (C) Since Roh's death on May 23rd, his supporters and
anti-government leaders have attempted to organize mass
rallies in central Seoul similar to the anti-government
candle light vigils in May and June of 2008 that inflicted
severe political wounds on President Lee. The Blue House,
determined to prevent a replay, relied on a heavy police
presence to prevent any large demonstrations. Riot police
buses cordoned Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall, blocking
access by the public from May 23 to June 4, except for a
brief reprieve on May 29, the day of Roh's funeral.

¶6. (C) DP leaders railed against the government for taking
anti-democratic actions to block the public's expression of
its sentiments. Government supporters applauded the Lee
administration's emphasis on law and order. The
Constitutional Court recently upheld the Law on Assembly and
Demonstration, passed in 2004 under Roh's leadership, which
requires organizers to notify police 48-72 hours in advance
of a demonstration -- a tool the Lee administration has
effectively used to its advantage.

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Political Deadlock
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¶7. (C) With large-scale protests unlikely, the DP will use
Roh's death to extend its success in blocking the ruling GNP
from carrying out its legislative agenda. The DP delayed the
reconvening of the National Assembly, set for June 1, and
demanded an apology from President Lee over Roh's death.
With an apology unlikely, it is not yet clear when the
National Assembly will reconvene. GNP sources, are hoping
for a June 15 start, but DP sources said the DP, whose
primary goal is to block the GNP legislative agenda, was
prepared to wait for Lee's apology. With President Lee, the
GNP, and the DP scoring approval ratings of 30% or less, none
of the actors has the leverage to break the deadlock.

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Public's Disappointment
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¶8. (C) The outpouring of sympathy over Roh's suicide far
exceeds the credit the public gave him as a President.
Hailing from a very poor family, Roh was a self-made man
without a college degree in an elitist society that values
formal education. His home town in Gyeongsang Province near
Busan was a conservative stronghold but Roh was a progressive
politician who made his name as a champion of labor rights.
Above all, Roh stood for cleaning up politics, doing away
with regionalism, and reconciling with the North. This
vision captured the imagination of the Korean public and
catapulted him to the presidency. That by his own admission
he failed to fulfill his vision does not diminish the
public's support for the kind of politics he promised. Among
many Koreans there is a lasting desire to see Roh's political
promises fulfilled.
STEPHENS