President Roh States, “It will be a Quiet 10 Days while I’m Away”

“Korea’s Greatest Concerns are a Typhoon and the President”-

While the president cut the cake to celebrate his 59th birthday with journalists on an airplane bound for Mexico on September 9, he said, “When I told Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan and the aides who came to the airport to see me off that Korea has two greatest concerns, one is a typhoon and the other is the president, they seemed to agree.”

President Roh also said, “I told them to treat the possibility of a typhoon with care, because everything else will be alright here while I, another great concern, am away,” adding, “For 10 days (until I come back on September 17), it will be peaceful here, and that is the significance of my visit to foreign countries.”

When people broke into laughter, President Roh said, “I will not make big news during this visit.” He meant that he would not mention domestic political issues such as the controversy over a coalition government.

He also said, “I will be extra careful at meetings with local Koreans. At these meetings, I usually made big news.”

He has a reputation for making sensational remarks at meetings with local Koreans during his visits to foreign countries. Some journalists even call these meetings “scary.”

In the meantime, Roh arrived at his first stopover in Mexico City. On the night he arrived, he attended a meeting with Korean Mexicans at his hotel in commemoration of the 100th year of Korean immigration to Mexico.

At the meeting, he received an original copy of a passport, which was issued by the Korean Empire 100 years ago in 1905, from Goh Heung-ryong, a second generation Korean Mexican who turned 100 years old this year. President Roh promised to donate it to the Historical Archives and Records administration so that it can be remembered by all Koreans.

Yeon-Wook Jung jyw11@donga.com