This is Randi Hacker with another Postcard from Asia from the KU Center for East Asian Studies.

Ex-presidents often enjoy greater popularity out of office than in. This is true across cultural borders; think ex-President Richard Nixon, whose questionable actions in the White House did not prevent him from becoming a respected elder statesman out of it. And here, in South Korea, there’s ex-President Roh Moo Hyun. Roh was so unpopular that at one point his approval rating dropped below 30% and the people voted to impeach him. Now that his term is over, however, Roh has gone from vilified to glorified. Thousands of tourists a week – as many as 20,000 on Sundays alone – flock to the tiny village where he lives just to see him. Clearly the key to power is not to be in power at all: let’s call it the “ex” factor, shall we?

From the KU Center for East Asian Studies, I’m Randi Hacker. Wish you were here.