The Key Figure in Ending the Cold War, Former Soviet President Gorbachev Passes Away... "A Leader Who Opened a New Era" (Comprehensive)

Rated as 'Traitor' in Russia and Eastern Europe
Despite Reform and Opening Policies, Soviet Economy Ultimately Collapsed
First Summit with Korea... Full-Scale Normalization of Relations Begins

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the Soviet Union who led the great upheavals of modern history such as the end of the Cold War conflicts worldwide and the dissolution of the former Soviet Union, has passed away at the age of 91 after a life of glory and disgrace.

According to Russia's TASS news agency on the 30th (local time), the Moscow Central Clinical Hospital, where former President Gorbachev was hospitalized, announced in a statement that "former President Gorbachev passed away this evening after a long battle with illness." It is known that he had been suffering from a serious illness for a long time since 2015.

Former President Gorbachev took office as General Secretary of the Soviet Union in 1985 and led the reform and democratization of the Soviet Union by promoting Perestroika (restructuring) and Glasnost (openness) as his two main policies. His policies brought about massive transformations in the Eastern Bloc and are credited with leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the end of the East-West Cold War structure.

◆West and Russia, Divergent Evaluations... Leader of Peace vs. Traitor

On December 8, 1987, Mikhail Gorbachev, then General Secretary of the Soviet Union (left), and Ronald Reagan, President of the United States (right), signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) at the White House in Washington, DC. The INF Treaty, which formed the basis of nuclear arms reduction agreements between the United States and the Soviet Union, is regarded as an achievement that hastened the end of the Cold War. Washington, DC (USA) = Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News

In the international community, he is remembered as a leader who led global peace and great unification, while in Russia and the Eastern Bloc, many view him as a 'traitor' who brought extreme chaos.

World leaders have consecutively issued statements praising his achievements. Ant?nio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, mourned, saying, "Former President Gorbachev did more than anyone else to peacefully end the Cold War." Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Union (EU) Commission, also expressed condolences, stating, "He was a trusted and respected leader. He played a decisive role in ending the Cold War and tearing down the Iron Curtain," adding, "That opened the way for a free Europe, and we will not forget that legacy."

Especially amid rising international criticism of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, the contributions of former President Gorbachev, who worked for world peace, are receiving greater attention. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, "His selfless dedication to opening up the Soviet Union during Putin's invasion of Ukraine is an example to us all," and "I have always respected the courage and sincerity he showed."

Foreign media also reported his death as breaking news, highly evaluating his contribution to ending the Cold War. The New York Times (NYT) reported, "He ended the Cold War and led the dissolution of the Soviet Union, opening a new era."

Although recognized by the international community for his role in ending the Cold War, in Russia and former Soviet states, there is also an evaluation of former President Gorbachev as a traitor who caused the collapse of the Soviet Union and the great chaos in the Eastern Bloc. It is said that his reckless reform and opening policies worsened the Soviet economic crisis and that he failed to properly manage the political turmoil following the Soviet collapse.

In fact, during Gorbachev's lifetime, President Putin, who had clashed with him, only expressed brief condolences through the Kremlin spokesperson. Dmitry Peskov, Russian spokesperson, said at a briefing that day, "President Putin expresses deep condolences on Gorbachev's death. President Putin will send a message of condolence to Gorbachev's family and friends."

President Putin has described the collapse of the Soviet Union as "the greatest geopolitical disaster of the century." The Gorbachev Foundation has continuously criticized Putin's long-term dictatorship since he came to power.

◆Economic Collapse of the Soviet Union Despite Reform and Opening

On October 8, 1989, to mark the 40th anniversary of the founding of East Germany, Mikhail Gorbachev, then General Secretary of the Soviet Union (left), and Erich Honecker, General Secretary of East Germany (right), greeted each other with a kiss on the cheek during a visit to East Berlin. Although this photo symbolized Soviet support and the stability of the East German regime, just one month later, the fall of the Berlin Wall led to the collapse of the East German regime and the reunification of West and East Germany. Berlin, Germany = Photo by EPA·Yonhap News

Before taking office, former President Gorbachev was known as a capable bureaucrat who rose rapidly through the ranks. He joined the Communist Party in 1952, shortly after entering the prestigious Moscow State University Law Faculty, and was recognized as an excellent central bureaucrat, advancing rapidly. At age 49 in 1980, he became the youngest member of the Politburo, the highest decision-making body of the Soviet Communist Party, and five years later rose to the top position as General Secretary of the Soviet Union.

After taking office, he actively engaged in diplomacy with Western countries to end the Afghan War and the systemic competition with the United States, which were identified as major causes of the economic crisis. In February 1989, he ended the Afghan War, and in November of the same year, he accepted the fall of the Berlin Wall, leading to the reunification of East and West Germany. In 1990, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in leading arms reduction agreements with the United States.

However, he could not prevent the deepening economic crisis after taking office. According to the British BBC, the Soviet economy shrank by more than 40% during his tenure, and the main cause of the economic crisis was the collapse of international oil prices, which supported the Soviet fiscal and economic system. International oil prices plummeted nearly 70% from November 1985, shortly after he took office, to March of the following year.

The reform (Perestroika) and opening (Glasnost) policies implemented without fundamental reform of the resource-dependent Russian economy worsened the situation.

State-owned enterprises transitioning from the planned economy under the existing communist system to a capitalist system raised prices of essential goods and products all at once under the pretext of reflecting real market prices, which had been suppressed by the Communist Party. As the Soviet authorities faced increasing fiscal pressure, they expanded the money supply on a large scale, leading to a vicious economic cycle.

Ultimately, in August 1991, as the Soviet Union was dissolving, Gorbachev lost his power base due to a conservative coup and resigned from the presidency four months later. He attempted a political comeback by running in the 1996 presidential election but received only 0.5% of the vote and subsequently ceased political activities.

He later founded Novaya Gazeta, a major progressive media outlet in Russia, and acquired the former Soviet social science research institute, renaming it the Gorbachev Foundation, where he served as chairman.

◆First Korea-Soviet Summit Meeting

Meanwhile, he is also famous as the first Soviet leader to open diplomatic channels with South Korea and maintain a special relationship. He decided on the Soviet Union's participation in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, which led most Eastern Bloc countries to join the Seoul Olympics.

In June 1990, while South Korea and the Soviet Union had no formal diplomatic relations, he held the first summit meeting with then-President Roh Tae-woo in the United States. In December of the same year, President Roh Tae-woo visited the Soviet Union for the first time and held talks with former President Gorbachev, and in April of the following year, President Gorbachev visited South Korea for the first time and held a summit meeting in Jeju Island, laying the groundwork for diplomatic normalization between the two countries.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.