Author Description

ON MAY 23, 2009, THE PRESIDENT COMMITS SUICIDE. Following the shocking event, five million grief-stricken people gather in the streets sobbing for days and nights, nationwide. During his presidency, this man held an approval rating of 10%, the lowest ever; he was considered the most incompetent president in the nation's history; and he shamefully took his own life after a series of corruption charges. How could such a failed politician become an instant saint upon suicide and receive heroic recognition similar to a national icon like Gandhi? This historical/political fiction is based on real events surrounding Roh Moo-hyun, the 16th President of South Korea. The narrative moves via Elpis, an undergraduate journalism student who is antipathetic toward the president but slowly discovers his underrated value. By the time she is determined to help the president from the turmoil of political retaliation and lopsided investigation, he ends his own life. Now Elpis finds herself left to carry out the legacy of her "captain," but her father, a respected journalist of the leading print media, has an ulterior motive to stop her. President Roh was a rare leader who consistently emphasized "public awareness" for people to regain their sovereignty from authorities, and it struck a chord in people more posthumously than while his unpopular administration was actually in control. This book aims to remind readers about their noble right to choose a leader who would sincerely work for them in this era of political apathy by defining a "People's President" through examining Roh's life and death.