[In-Depth] The Creative President Who Secured a Utility Model Patent (Part 2)

Endured Prison Life with Reading and Flower Gardening, Kim Dae-jung
Unexpected Contact Caused Trouble for Bodyguards, Roh Moo-hyun
Avoided Mixed Grain Rice and Enjoyed Soy Sauce Bibimbap, Lee Myung-bak

‘If you look closely,’ information that is good to know is delivered in a disorganized manner.

*Following 100m in 11 seconds... The president who was proposed to join the athletics team (Part 2)

President Kim Dae-jung's gardening shears and watering can

*President Kim Dae-jung used to talk to flowers. While trimming their appearance with scissors, he designed a new political space. He endured prison life through reading and flower gardening. The following is an excerpt from a letter he wrote to his wife, Mrs. Lee Hee-ho, while in prison: “When I go out to exercise in the yard, the chrysanthemums seem to be in full bloom with yellow color. The flowers I cared for were fresh when they bloomed, but compared to others, they endured for a month longer, which makes me proud and grateful.”

*The English tailor shop that made President Kim Dae-jung’s suits was busy with frequent repair requests. This was because President Kim kept losing weight due to worrying about troublesome issues like the IMF crisis, so his waist size had to be reduced often.

*Mrs. Lee Hee-ho often wore modernized hanbok. She had an experience of falling because of the long skirt hem while walking around the Blue House wearing hanbok. The colors were generally bright. She accepted the advice of hanbok designer Kim Ye-jin, who said that the bright colors could represent the will to revive the country’s economy, which was depressed due to the IMF crisis.

*President Kim Dae-jung loved fermented skate (hongeo) very much. He could distinguish the taste differences as well as experts. His regular restaurant was 'Sinanchon' located on Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul. He had been visiting since 1986. He enjoyed dishes such as grilled octopus skewers, fermented skate soup good for winter stamina, and more. After becoming president, he could not visit often. This was because he could not indulge in his favorite food alone when the country’s finances were difficult.

Cheering hat worn by President Kim Dae-jung during the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup

*Former National Assembly member Han Hwa-gap recalled, “President Kim Dae-jung and fermented skate were inseparable. When someone sent fermented skate, he would say, ‘Have dinner and stay.’ When I got a little bit, I can’t even describe how delicious it was. Once, it was past eleven at night in Donggyo-dong, and President Kim told the kitchen lady to bring fermented skate. He dipped a plate in soybean paste and ate it all. Unlike us who eat it as a side dish with Makgeolli or during meals, he just ate fermented skate alone.”

*President Kim Dae-jung urged to reduce his own meal expenses amid the chaotic situation of the IMF crisis. The chef in charge, Moon Moon-sul, recalled: “We prepared nine side dishes. One day, after he ate, he called me and said, ‘Why did you prepare so many?’ He told me to reduce them, saying, ‘The country is in trouble, and I don’t even eat all nine side dishes, so don’t do this.’” President Kim also requested to serve leftover food from previous meals again. Before lunch started, he said, “Bring the food left over from breakfast.”

*President Kim Dae-jung enjoyed simple snacks favored by the elderly. These included hotteok (sweet pancakes), boiled sweet potatoes, and red bean porridge with small rice cake balls. When he felt hungry while reading at night, he sought ramen. Initially, the kitchen prepared ramen by boiling noodles once in broth made with shrimp and vegetables instead of powdered soup for health reasons. President Kim said, “This is not ramen. Please cook the original ramen with powdered soup.”

President Roh Moo-hyun's book stand

*President Roh Moo-hyun invented a modernized bookstand in 1974 while preparing for the bar exam and obtained a utility model patent. It was a stand that allowed reading books while lying down by adjusting the angle. After entering the Blue House, he developed the online integrated management system ‘e-Jiwon (知園).’ He said, “If I hadn’t become president, I would have become a consultant or inventor.” Patents are closely related to the instinct to challenge and break through. Even when obstacles appeared, he went straight ahead to solve problems. He dissected fundamental causes and proposed innovative solutions and improvements.

*President Roh Moo-hyun had a personal image stylist who helped coordinate his outfits. The main figure, Kang Jin-joo, cannot forget when President Roh visited Pyongyang in 2007 for the inter-Korean summit with Kim Jong-il. “Because he was so young, I gave him a dark gray suit instead of navy to make him look more dignified and charismatic. If the tie was also dark, it could look dull on TV, so I gave him a bright sky-blue tie. That color symbolized the Korean Peninsula at the time.”

*Thanks to Kang Jin-joo’s efforts, President Roh transformed into a sophisticated dresser but wore loose shirts and a large straw hat immediately after leaving office.

The commemorative axe used by Mrs. Kwon Yang-sook to cut the launching rope at the launching ceremony of the Munmu the Great warship held at Hyundai Heavy Industries in April 2003.

*President Roh Moo-hyun preferred places like delicious restaurants in market back alleys over banquets served at large hotels or Japanese restaurants. He enjoyed the atmosphere of sharing stories about people’s lives and hardships while having a glass of soju.

*President Roh’s regular restaurant was Masanjip on Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul. It was famous for its gukbap (soup with rice) taste reminiscent of a rural market in Gyeongsang Province. Unlike the clear Gyeonggi-do style soup made with radish, brisket, and soybean paste, it was characterized by a spicy flavor seasoned with red pepper powder. President Roh enjoyed eating it spicy and refreshing by adding radish kimchi juice to the rice. He mingled freely with his high school classmates from Busan Commercial High School while having drinks. He enjoyed gatherings in a relaxed atmosphere, shedding all formality and dignity.

*The chef in charge of President Roh’s meals was Kim Gyu-hyung. On his first day in office, he prepared breakfast with bean sprout soup seasoned with red pepper powder, grilled fish, and a few side dishes. After finishing the meal, President Roh visited the kitchen and said, “I’ve never had such delicious bean sprout soup before,” expressing his gratitude.

*President Roh did not refuse any food at the table. His favorite dishes were seafood such as cod soup, sashimi, and grilled sea eel. Regarding cod soup, he said, “If you put many ingredients, it doesn’t taste good. Even if you cook it poorly, it tastes good with just radish and green onions.”

A commemorative watch that President Roh Moo-hyun gifted to the soldiers during his visit to the Zaytun Unit in December 2004.

*Whenever President Roh was mentally distressed, he refused flour-based foods. Chef Kim Gyu-hyung confirmed allergic reactions and made bread with rice instead of flour. When his health was fine, he ate any food well. Due to his busy schedule, he sometimes requested ramen when he missed meals.

*President Roh often caused headaches for security guards due to unexpected contacts such as shaking hands with unplanned people at events.

*President Lee Myung-bak rode a bicycle with citizens around Sangju city center in Gyeongbuk during the ‘Korea Bicycle Festival’ in April 2011. He showed a friendly side by pedaling and chatting with a nearby student.

*During his term, President Lee Myung-bak drank Makgeolli unusually often at evening events. This was part of his policy to promote rice consumption. Especially at a reception for the diplomatic corps held at the Blue House in 2009, he used Makgeolli cocktails as the toast drink. He also frequently ate rice ramen to promote rice consumption.

Bicycle helmet worn by President Lee Myung-bak

*President Lee Myung-bak often visited the caf? ‘Parangga’ located at the Blue House information center (Yeonpungmun). It was mainly used by Blue House staff, but he met external guests or held meetings there. In the past, it had an atmosphere like a visitors’ center, but during Lee’s administration, it was remodeled and modernized with a caf?. President Lee freely chatted while drinking tea with secretaries and administrative officers. During the 2012 London Summer Olympics, he gathered with staff to watch and cheer for Korean athletes on TV.

*President Lee Myung-bak never passed by a chrysanthemum bread shop in traditional markets. He claimed to be an expert on chrysanthemum bread and even demonstrated how to make it himself.

*During his term, President Lee changed his necktie colors to express his mood or policy intentions. He wore red ties when making strong policy statements and black ties when scandals involving close aides erupted one after another. After cataract surgery, he wore glasses. Although it was also on a doctor’s recommendation, he accepted advice that wearing glasses softened the sharpness of his eyes.

*President Lee’s regular restaurant was Sadong Myeonok in Insadong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. It was a shop making Hwanghae-style dumplings. A big eater, President Lee enjoyed a hearty meal with Mrs. Kim Yoon-ok, including king-sized dumplings, dumpling hot pot, seafood pancake, and two bowls of rice.

President Lee Myung-bak's Glasses

*Another regular restaurant of President Lee Myung-bak was Andong Guksi Soram in Insadong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. The main menu was Andong-style knife-cut noodles and spicy beef soup, both cleanly cooked. President Lee always emptied his bowl without leaving any food.

*The only food President Lee Myung-bak did not eat well was multigrain rice. Due to his experience of a hungry childhood, he had a strong attachment to white rice. In fact, he enjoyed soy sauce bibimbap as a special dish. It was a dish mixed with hot white rice, egg, and soy sauce. When he was unwell or lacked energy, he specially requested it from Mrs. Kim Yoon-ok. President Lee lost his sister and younger brother during the Korean War. He lived with his remaining family in a single room and survived on two meals a day of rice lees (the residue left after extracting moju, a traditional rice wine). He sold matches and kimbap while attending school but had to take a leave from middle school due to malnutrition.

*Mrs. Kim Yoon-ok liked tteokbokki. She enjoyed eating it with market vendors at traditional markets. She also visited local children’s centers to make it for children there. Eventually, she even pushed to establish a ‘Tteokbokki Research Institute’ to promote it worldwide.

*At the 2010 Seoul G20 Summit dinner led by President Lee Myung-bak, major state guests used white porcelain sets. The tableware was inspired by white porcelain jars considered the finest Korean ceramics. It highlighted the unique grace and beauty of Korean traditional ceramics.

The tennis racket used by President Lee Myung-bak.

*At the Blue House, when a president from Jeolla Province was in office, kimchi with a rich and deep flavor made with salted seafood was served. When a president from Gyeongsang Province was in office, kimchi with a refreshing taste featuring fruit was served. When making kimchi for President Roh Moo-hyun, beef bone soup was added to bring out a mild taste, and when making kimchi for President Lee Myung-bak, raw cutlassfish salted seafood was added to emphasize a refreshing flavor.

Reference materials: ‘The President’s Table’ (2012) by Park Byung-ho, Ban Bo-hyun, Park Yeon-jae, et al., published by Whale Media; ‘People Who Complete the President’ (2022) by Lee Kang-rae, published by Hyeongse Life; ‘The Complete Records of the Presidents of the Republic of Korea’ (2022) by Park Young-gyu, published by Woongjin Knowledge House; ‘The President in My Heart’ (2009) by the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, published by Han Georeum Deo; ‘The Complete Records of the Presidents of the Republic of Korea’ (2022) by Park Young-gyu, published by Woongjin Knowledge House; ‘The President’s Time 2008-2013’ (2015) by Lee Myung-bak, published by RH Korea, etc.

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