2009, a strange year (2)

so many prominent people passed away this year, especially in Korea.

In March (or February?): Father Stefano Kim, who was the highest Catholic priest in Korea. He spoke out against dictators like Park Junghee and Chun Doohwan and was deeply involved in movements for democracy and laborer's rights, so many people respected him regardless of their religion. He was kind of like the Mahatma Gandhi of Korea.

May: Roh Moohyun, former president of Korea. And a very controversial person, too. He wasn't a perfect president, but many people had high hopes for him because he was the second 'liberal' president ever to be elected in Korea. Many people including myself thought his election was very meaningful because it marked the maturity of Korean democracy.

July: Michael Jackson, the 'King of Pop' AND Cho Oh-ryun, the Korean swimming star. His nickname was 'the sea lion of Asia' because he broke and set many records. He became a famous swimming coach and also did stuff like swimming across the Korean Strait and the Dover Strait. He got his sons and some Korean celebrities to have a relay across the Korean Strait, in time for our 50th or 60th Independence Day. The event was widely publicized on TV and there were many documentaries about him. It was too bad he passed away, because 'Marine Boy' Park Taehwan (the new, young Korean swimming star who won a few medals in the Beijing Olympics) is not doing so well these days.

August: Kim Daejung, another darling of Korean democracy. He was the president of Korea 1998~2003, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000 for initiating the first South-North Koreas summit meeting. There are photos of him shaking hands or hugging Kim Jong-il in our school textbooks, so he is a familiar figure even among teenagers. He entered politics when he was still quit young, and became the opposition leader for a long time until he became the first Korean president to be elected from an Opposition party. He was a popular orator, and left many speeches and books. Excerpts from his diary while he was in jail are quoted frequently among Koreans, the most famous line being perhaps, "Conscience that does not take action is on the side of evil." (my own rough translation).

I really wish DJ could have lived just a bit longer, maybe for just one year.. I/We still haven't fully recovered from the death of Roh Moohyun, and with DJ gone, I/we feel like there is no one at the moment who can carry on my/our hopes and expectations. Feels like some big pillars just broke down. And it will take many, many years to rebuild that...