JP’s ‘Second-in-Command’ Lesson to Roh Tae-woo: Keep Dignity, Bow, and Endure
Creatrip Team
a month ago
Former Korean prime minister Kim Jong-pil (JP) advised then-security commander Roh Tae-woo in 1980 on how to survive as a 2nd-in-command: never look down on the leader, keep dignity while bowing, and show unwavering loyalty by avoiding any actions that invite suspicion; true patience means enduring even the unbearable. The column examines JP’s shifting recollections over decades, notes that his memoirs may be self-serving, and frames the advice as distilled from JP’s 18 years serving under Park Chung-hee. It also reflects on how Roh later rose to the presidency, and on the broader value of JP’s “2인자론 (theory of the second-in-command)” for people in organizations or families who must play supporting roles.
