"Raised with Father's Love... The Strength That Keeps Me Going" Reexamining Past Writings of Roh Tae-woo's Daughter Roh So-young

Former President Roh Tae-woo Passes Away at 89
Daughter Roh So-young: "Father's Motto Was 'Endure, Forgive, and Wait'"

Former President Roh Tae-woo (left) and No So-young, Director of Art Center Nabi (right) [Photo by Asia Economy DB]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Former President Roh Tae-woo, the 13th President of the Republic of Korea, passed away on the 26th at the age of 89. Amid this, past writings by his eldest daughter, No So-young, director of Art Center Nabi, are being reexamined.

On April 10th, Director No shared an update on her father's condition on her Facebook under the title "Father's Patience."

At that time, she said, "Yesterday, he overcame another hurdle. There was a problem with the respiratory support device," adding, "We do not know how much time is left for my father (and mother) on this earth."

She continued, "But my father gave me a definite lesson: patience. Seeing my father endure with superhuman patience, there was no problem in this world that I could not bear," and said, "Cham.yong.gi. (meaning endure, forgive, and wait) is my father's motto. It is undoubtedly a very difficult path."

Director No also explained about her bedridden father, former President Roh, saying, "How can he spend more than ten years lying in bed, unable to speak a word or move his body? I don't think I could live like that even for a month," and added, "He suffers from a rare disease called cerebellar atrophy, but his cerebrum is unaffected, so he has consciousness and thought."

She further said, "Sometimes he communicates with eye gestures, but when communication is difficult despite his strong desire to speak, his whole face collapses into a crying expression," expressing sorrow, "That is my father crying. There is no sound."

Photo by Noh So-young, Director of Art Center Nabi, Facebook screen capture.

Meanwhile, on Parents' Day, May 8th, Director No also posted, "Today, my father is opening his eyes wide. Seizing the moment, I poured out the stories I usually wanted to tell."

She recalled, "I am thankful that my father played with me and my siblings a lot when we were young. We often played the Diamond Game and read comic books together. When I entered middle school and struggled with studying, my father taught me by underlining important concepts and telling me to memorize them. When I entered university, he gifted me a typewriter and taught me how to type in English," and also expressed special affection, saying, "I grew up receiving my father's abundant love. That is the strength that keeps me going."

Meanwhile, after undergoing prostate cancer surgery in 2002, former President Roh was repeatedly hospitalized and discharged, and then recuperated at his home in Yeonhui-dong, Seoul. Later, suffering from the rare disease cerebellar atrophy and asthma, he rarely appeared in public after attending the inauguration ceremony of former President Roh Moo-hyun in February 2003.

The funeral for former President Roh will be held on the 27th at 10 a.m. in Room 3 of the Seoul National University Hospital funeral hall. The bereaved family includes his wife Kim Ok-sook, daughter So-young, and son Jae-heon.