Reviews
I came across this book during a time of political turmoil. The President had entrusted state affairs to others, and the place where the nation's finances were managed had become a place overflowing with individual greed. The President was impeached, and now a new one has been elected. I went into the May election hoping and praying that the new president would be at least different from the previous one. It was a vote cast with a more earnest desire than ever before for the creation of a
Due to the mismanagement of former President Park Geun-hye, which has inflicted anger and frustration upon countless citizens, questions are being raised from all sides regarding who should be president and what a president must do. Looking back at our history would be a good way to find answers to these questions. Examining in detail what those who served as the presidency of the Republic of Korea did well and what they did poorly is particularly meaningful now, with the presidential election
The 19th presidential election of the Republic of Korea is scheduled to be held on May 9. This is the result achieved by one million citizens, enraged by the excessive manipulation of state affairs, taking to the streets with candlelight to make their voices heard. Our non-violent and peaceful candlelight rallies are being praised for demonstrating the high level of "direct democracy" consciousness of the Korean people. Now, only one task remains for us: "What kind of president" must we choose
Presidents of the Republic of Korea by Kim Jun-sik. I dare to assert that this is one of the hottest books in Korea right now. News about the president appears whenever you turn on the TV. Have I ever felt the word "politics" this close before? I always kept my mouth shut whenever politics was mentioned, no matter where I was. That is because I was a person ignorant of politics. All I remembered were the names of the presidents, starting with former President Kim Dae-jung. The policies with
This book covers the modern history of South Korea centered on its supreme leaders, including the processes by which the 11 former presidents who served from Syngman Rhee to Park Geun-hye, the political situations surrounding their ascension to the highest position, and the positive and negative aspects they displayed as supreme leaders. History is not an object of severance or liquidation. It is an advanced attitude to inherit and develop good policies, even those of the previous
In 2017, the year of the presidential election, I read two books related to the election. The first is *Presidents of the Republic of Korea*. Although I do not know exactly when the election will take place (?), given that it is expected to happen soon, I consider this book to be highly timely. First, let's take a look at the author. I was not familiar with this author before reading this book, but what I felt while reading was that they seem very skilled at writing with a person at the center,
I wasn't usually the type to have a strong interest in politics. When the time came, I would go to vote to fulfill my rights as a citizen, and I would pay attention only when political news suddenly broke and then gradually lose interest. That was the extent of my interest, at least until this presidential scandal broke. Perhaps this incident served as a catalyst to spark my interest in a field I hadn't paid attention to before, and I may have chosen the book *Presidents of the Republic of
I was incredibly surprised the moment I opened *Presidents of the Republic of Korea*. It was because all the past presidents were gathered in one place. When I first opened the book, I was worried it might be too dry, and I harbored a needless concern that the content might be even slightly biased. History inevitably contains the subjective thoughts and feelings of those who record it. Of course, I believe this is why every recorded history acquires its own unique character. On the other hand,
The books I read these days are so excellent that I would almost call them must-reads. I titled this book that way because it is a must-read for every South Korean citizen with the right to vote. When I first received it, I was taken aback by how thick it was. I am someone who reads very slowly, and perhaps I held a preconceived notion and a sense of aversion that it would look dry just because it was so thick. However, once I actually opened the book—just as it says on the cover—it was a great
“First, why do you want to become president?” “Second, what do you want to do after becoming president?” These are the words found on the last page of this book. While becoming the leader of a nation is not something one simply decides to do, there must be a clear reason for wanting to become president. And naturally, that reason must resonate with the hearts of the people and be rational. This book examines the history of presidents to date. It evaluates the actions taken by presidents and
Kang Jun-sik: Presidents of the Republic of Korea
From Syngman Rhee to Park Geun-hye, the number of power holders we have experienced since liberation—including Prime Minister Chang Myon under the cabinet system—a total of 12. It is an undeniable fact that each of them had their own merits and demerits, as well as a role they played in their respective eras. *Presidents of the Republic of Korea* captures the process of their rise to power, political situations, anecdotes, achievements, and evaluations in a narrative format. It is structured to allow the modern history woven by these presidents to be vividly depicted in the reader's mind. To ensure an engaging yet rigorous and objective narrative, the author has thoroughly reviewed numerous materials and interviews, while maintaining a neutral perspective. The three major powers of a president are policy, personnel, and budget. In addition to these, the Korean president possesses three more powers that the president of the United States, the home of the presidential system, does not. These are the "power of investigation," which allows the president to mobilize the prosecution, police, National Tax Service, and Board of Audit and Inspection; the "power of intelligence," which is obtained through the National Intelligence Service and the Defense Security Command; and the "power of the party," which allows the president to effectively control the ruling party according to their own will. This is why the President of the Republic of Korea is referred to as an "imperial" figure. Therefore, the success or failure of a president is not merely a personal matter, but is directly linked to the fate of the nation. Accordingly, this book, which contains in-depth research and reflection on the conditions and role of the Republic of Korea, focuses on enabling readers to judge what kind of person a president should be through a neutral and objective perspective.
Korean title: 대한민국의 대통령들
Korean author: 강준식
Korean publisher: 김영사
ISBN-13: 9788934977162
Reviews
I came across this book during a time of political turmoil. The President had entrusted state affairs to others, and the place where the nation's finances were managed had become a place overflowing with individual greed. The President was impeached, and now a new one has been elected. I went into the May election hoping and praying that the new president would be at least different from the previous one. It was a vote cast with a more earnest desire than ever before for the creation of a
Due to the mismanagement of former President Park Geun-hye, which has inflicted anger and frustration upon countless citizens, questions are being raised from all sides regarding who should be president and what a president must do. Looking back at our history would be a good way to find answers to these questions. Examining in detail what those who served as the presidency of the Republic of Korea did well and what they did poorly is particularly meaningful now, with the presidential election
The 19th presidential election of the Republic of Korea is scheduled to be held on May 9. This is the result achieved by one million citizens, enraged by the excessive manipulation of state affairs, taking to the streets with candlelight to make their voices heard. Our non-violent and peaceful candlelight rallies are being praised for demonstrating the high level of "direct democracy" consciousness of the Korean people. Now, only one task remains for us: "What kind of president" must we choose
Presidents of the Republic of Korea by Kim Jun-sik. I dare to assert that this is one of the hottest books in Korea right now. News about the president appears whenever you turn on the TV. Have I ever felt the word "politics" this close before? I always kept my mouth shut whenever politics was mentioned, no matter where I was. That is because I was a person ignorant of politics. All I remembered were the names of the presidents, starting with former President Kim Dae-jung. The policies with
This book covers the modern history of South Korea centered on its supreme leaders, including the processes by which the 11 former presidents who served from Syngman Rhee to Park Geun-hye, the political situations surrounding their ascension to the highest position, and the positive and negative aspects they displayed as supreme leaders. History is not an object of severance or liquidation. It is an advanced attitude to inherit and develop good policies, even those of the previous
In 2017, the year of the presidential election, I read two books related to the election. The first is *Presidents of the Republic of Korea*. Although I do not know exactly when the election will take place (?), given that it is expected to happen soon, I consider this book to be highly timely. First, let's take a look at the author. I was not familiar with this author before reading this book, but what I felt while reading was that they seem very skilled at writing with a person at the center,
I wasn't usually the type to have a strong interest in politics. When the time came, I would go to vote to fulfill my rights as a citizen, and I would pay attention only when political news suddenly broke and then gradually lose interest. That was the extent of my interest, at least until this presidential scandal broke. Perhaps this incident served as a catalyst to spark my interest in a field I hadn't paid attention to before, and I may have chosen the book *Presidents of the Republic of
I was incredibly surprised the moment I opened *Presidents of the Republic of Korea*. It was because all the past presidents were gathered in one place. When I first opened the book, I was worried it might be too dry, and I harbored a needless concern that the content might be even slightly biased. History inevitably contains the subjective thoughts and feelings of those who record it. Of course, I believe this is why every recorded history acquires its own unique character. On the other hand,
The books I read these days are so excellent that I would almost call them must-reads. I titled this book that way because it is a must-read for every South Korean citizen with the right to vote. When I first received it, I was taken aback by how thick it was. I am someone who reads very slowly, and perhaps I held a preconceived notion and a sense of aversion that it would look dry just because it was so thick. However, once I actually opened the book—just as it says on the cover—it was a great
“First, why do you want to become president?” “Second, what do you want to do after becoming president?” These are the words found on the last page of this book. While becoming the leader of a nation is not something one simply decides to do, there must be a clear reason for wanting to become president. And naturally, that reason must resonate with the hearts of the people and be rational. This book examines the history of presidents to date. It evaluates the actions taken by presidents and
