Korea: Roh Moo Hyun and Japanese Netizens

The previous Korean President, Roh Moo Hyun, as I wrote a previous post, ‘ Roh Moo Hyun Syndrome (March 30, 2008)’ has become famous even after his retirement due to his casual life style. While he generated hyeom-han gam-jeong (Japanese antipathy against Korea) during his governance, his life has been introduced by a major portal site of Japan, 2ch. A Korean netizen introduced Japanese netizens’ reactions to the photos. It is interesting to observe how he is still an issue and even in other places (newspapers in other countries introduced the Roh Gan Ji Wave [Roh Moo Hyun syndrome] after retirement).

노간지 시리즈를 본 일본 2ch의 반응.

퇴직 후 고향인 김해 봉하마을에서 생활하고 있는 노무현 전 대통령이 자전거 뒤에 설치한 차에 손자를 태우고 마을길을 달리고 있다. 이 사진은 13일 노 전 대통령의 홈페이지에 게재되었다.이 사진을 본 사람들은 이 사진을 인터넷에 유포하며 노 기사 운전해 등으로 제목을 붙였다

The responses from Japan 2ch after watching ‘Roh Gan Gi Series.’

After retirement, the previous President Roh Moo Hyun living in his hometown, Bongha village in Kimhae, rode his bike that he adapted especially for his grandchildren on the street. This photo was posted on his homepage on the 13th. Watching this photo, netizens spread the photo over to other internet sites and put the title, “Driver, Roh, Bike.”

1208486850_1.jpg

정말 천진난만하다

He’s really unsophiscated.

이런 생활, 동경한다

This kind of life, I am envious.

아름다운 사진 아닌가

Isn’t it a beautiful picture?

아 웃었다 서민적이고 좋잖아

I laughed… He’s like a common person. It looks good.

왠지 미워할 수 없다 이건 평소 안 좋게 보던 불량배가 조수석에 할아버지 할머니를 태우고달리는 모습을 봤을 때 같은 느낌이다

It’s hard to hate him. It’s like the feeling I would have if a gangster of whom I didn’t have a good impression usually put an old gentleman and lady in the backseat of his car and drove for them.

재미있는데

It’s interesting.

뭐랄까 이거야말로 천직이라고 생각될 정도로 빠져있잖아

Hm… it seems that he is indulged in what he’s doing like it’s his natural job.

결국 혐한인 나조차 노무현만큼은 미워할 수 없었다

Even to me, Korean hater, it’s impossible to hate Roh Moo Hyun

호소카와 전 수상도 은퇴 후에는 허허로운 느낌의 아저씨가 되었지

Hosokawa, the previous Prime Minister, also became a common uncle after retirement.

1208486850_2.jpg

귤 훔치는 사진 수준으로 웃기다www

He’s stealing a tangerine. It’s funny.

저건 몇 번 봐도 웃겨w

Watching the photo so many times… it still makes me laugh.

뭘 해도 재밌다
더 계속했으면 좋겠다

Whatever he does, it’s funny. I hope I can see more these kinds of things.

난 몇 번을 봐도 그저 손버릇이 나쁘다고 밖에 생각 안 되는데, 진실은 어떤 상황이야?

For me, watching the photo several times, it just looks like he has a bad habit. What kind of situation was it?

서민의 생활을 찍은 한 장이라고 생각하면 실로 좋은 사진이다.
피사체가 전 대통령이라는 사실이 황당하지만.

If it is a photo to show a common person’s life, it’s a really good photo. It’s a little bit fabulous to know the object is the previous president.

문제는 그게 아냐. 왜 정장을 입고 있어?

That’s not the issue. Why does he wear the formal clothing?

놀이터에서 한가롭게 그네를 타고 있는 아저씨도 정장을 입고 있지. 마찬가지.

Even an uncle who sits in a swing with leisure in a playground wears formal clothes. It will be same.

후쿠다 총리는 시골에 내려간다고 해도 그림이 안 나올거야. 과연 노씨라고 밖에는 말할 수 없다

Even though Fukuda goes to the countryside, he is not going to be photographed like Roh Moo Hyun. Roh Moo Hyun is the only one.

노무현은 타고난 엔터테이너야

Roh Moo Hyun is an innate entertainer.

노무현은 일본에 와서 코메디언이 되어야 한다

Roh Moo Hyun should come to Japan and become a comedian.

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행복해 보인다

He looks happy.

노무현은 정치를 빼고 생각하면 좋은 사람 같다

Except politics, he seems to be a good person.

이 사람이 나쁜 사람은 아닐거야. 일본을 비정상으로 싫어하는 점을 빼면

He must not be a bad person, except he abnormally hated Japan.

노무땅(역주: 최근 노무현 전 대통령의 전원생활이 소개된 이후 우리나라에서 노간지 등의 별명으로 불리는 것처럼 2ch쪽에서는 노무땅(ノムたん)이라는 애칭을 많이 사용하고 있습니다)은 정말로 귀엽다

Roh Moo Ttang (interpretation: recently since Roh Moo Hyun’s country life was introduced, he has been called Roh Gan Ji. In 2ch, they call him Roh Moo Ttang as the nickname) is really cute.

점잖지 않아w

He doesn’t look respectable.

웃겨wwwwwwwwww

That’s funny.

조금 친근감이 생기는데w이명박도 해라

I feel friendly. Lee Myung Bak should also try.

어째서 이렇게까지 웃기려는 거야?

How come he makes us laugh so much??

어? 그냥 좋은 사람 아닌가. 농촌 출신인 나는 친근감이 든다. 아이랑 놀아주는 것도 좋은 느낌이고.

oh? Isn’t he a good person? I, as a person from the countryside, feel close to him. That he is playing with kids looks good too.

아 진짜wwwwwww
오늘 제일 심하게 웃었다wwwww

Wow…. I laughed the most today.

노무땅은 어째서 이렇게 사진빨이 좋냐w 후쿠다는 어떻게 찍어도 재미가 없어

How come Roh Moo Ttang photographs well? Fukuda doesn’t have this kind of interesting photo.

전통적인 코리안 컨츄리 스타일의 체현자라는 평가를 얻고 싶은 것이겠지, 노무땅. 미국에서도 은퇴한 뒤에 목장에서 소를 치는 생활을 하는 것이 성공한 남자의 증거인 것처럼.

He must want to be judged as someone who experiences traditional Korean country life, Roh Moo Ttang. In America, living to raise cows in a stock farm is the evidence of a successful man.

이건wwwwwwwwwww
정말로 한때 대통령이었던 사람이라고는 생각되지 않아w

Wow… it is really hard to imagine he was the President of a nation once.

어째서 이렇게 노무현은 화제꺼리가 풍부한거야

How come there are always so many interesting topics about Roh Moo Hyun?

좋은 사진이구나. 저장했다. 인간적인 냄새가 나니까, 이 사진은 좋아.

There are good photos. I saved them in my computer because I can smell humanity from those photos.

이 블로그에선 쓸데없는 정치논쟁을 피하기 위해 가급적 국내정치에 관한 내용은 다루지 않고 있습니다만 한때 혐한들의 표적으로서 2ch에서도 무수한 비난에 직면했던 노무현 전 대통령이 이렇게 전원생활의 모습으로 따스한 반응을 받는 것이 재미있어 또 우리나라에서 화제가 된 노간지 열풍이 2ch에서도 화제가 된것이 재미있어 모처럼 소개해 보았습니다 다만 그러한 관계로 이와 관계없는 쓸데없는 정치적 리플은 자제해주시길 부탁드립니다

In order to evade unnecessary political arguments in this blog, I tried not to include political issues and messages. I just wanted to introduce it because I know the previous President Roh Moo Hyun faced numerous criticisms from 2ch, especially from Korean haters, but even there, Roh Ganji Wave has been introduced and Japanese netizens have given interesting and warm responses to him. But please don’t put unnecessary political opinions.

4 comments

  • R. Elgin

    Can you imagine what the pictures would be like, in comparison, if one were to follow around someone like Roh Tae-woo? Ouch . . .

  • Adam

    Being a cycle commuter – and sometime tangerine theif – myself, that’s a guy I could happily vote for. He comes across as being relaxed, down-to-earth, amiable; retirement from office has clearly done him good.

  • Hi Hyejin,

    Thanks for picking up this very interesting thread. Here is a link to a Japanese article about the photo, and here is another one from just yesterday where the picture is compared to a pic of Brad Pitt riding a similar bicycle.

    The original comments in Japanese can be found here.

  • Mike

    Who gives a crap about this terrible ex president? Hes a thief and rined the country. Driving a divide even greater between the regions. The picture is a setup to get weak minded koreans to think, oh look, hes justa regular guy. Yea a regular guy that scammed the country out of millions and helped his friends do the same. What a sham.

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