Jung Sye-kyun: "Concerned History Is Regressing, Roh Moo-hyun Summoned Again"

Bongha Village, 14th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony for Former President Roh Moo-hyun
Chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, KBS Radio Interview
"The history of the Republic of Korea has continued to progress. It will continue to..."

"When people's livelihoods become difficult and the world gets tougher, it seems they think of President Roh Moo-hyun."

Jeong Se-gyun, chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation and former Speaker of the National Assembly, explained in an interview with KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strongest Current Affairs' on the 23rd why former President Roh Moo-hyun has a high favorability among past presidents. That day was the 14th anniversary memorial service for the late President Roh held in Bongha Village, Gimhae, Gyeongnam.

Chairman Jeong diagnosed, "As concerns and worries grow that the principles and common sense emphasized by President Roh Moo-hyun are collapsing and even democracy and history are regressing, it seems President Roh is being recalled again."

Chairman Jeong said, "Because reality is bleak, the longing for President Roh Moo-hyun, who loved the people and thought only of their livelihoods and national interests first, is growing. I believe President Roh was such a figure not only to me but also to our people."

The theme of the memorial service that day was 'History is slow, but it progresses.' Chairman Jeong explained the meaning related to this.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

"The theme was taken from President Roh Moo-hyun's words. In his memoir 'The Future of Progress,' the President said, 'History is slow. But the beacon of hope that humans desire does not easily go out. Ideals are slow, but we proceed with the belief that they will be realized in history.' We chose this as the theme of the memorial service to recall the President's faith in democracy and history and to share hope with citizens. President Roh said that democracy has no completion."

Chairman Jeong explained, "If the citizens, who are the owners of the Republic of Korea, do not constantly reflect and proactively push forward, democracy can always regress. The people are worried that democracy is facing a crisis again, and our foundation believes that the unwavering spirit toward democracy in 2023 is what we need now."

Chairman Jeong added, "We planned today's event as a space of sharing and solidarity to strengthen the power of citizen democracy without avoiding the frustrating political and social realities."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Chairman Jeong predicted that history will ultimately progress.

He said, "I currently diagnose that democracy is regressing. History naturally progresses and regresses, doesn't it? But in the long run, history progresses and develops. In our case, there have been frequent advances and setbacks, but the history of the Republic of Korea has continuously progressed. And I believe it must continue to do so in the future."

Then Chairman Jeong delivered this message.

"The Roh Moo-hyun spirit is national unity and coexistence. President Roh was someone who loved human life and dreamed of a community where everyone lives free and equal without discrimination. There is the phrase symbolizing Roh Moo-hyun, 'A world where people live,' isn't there? I believe that phrase fully expresses the Roh Moo-hyun spirit. I also think his political philosophy and faith in democracy are closely connected to that."

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