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Michelle Rhee on the cover of the Dec. 8 edition of Time magazine
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Time magazine featured Barack Obama on the cover of its Oct. 23, 2006 issue alongside the caption: ¡°Why Barack Obama could be the next president¡± -- even though he was just a fledgling senator at the time. Time also showcased Obama¡¯s autobiography ¡°The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream¡± and said he possessed the charisma and ambition to run for the presidency. These showcase features put Obama in the national spotlight.
Time often takes a critical or satirical look at the figures gracing its cover. In December of 2003, Time featured a cover of President George W. Bush depicting him with a bruised left eye and a lipstick mark on his right cheek. That is how the magazine encapsulated the standoff between Bush¡¯s supporters and detractors as he faced his second bid for the presidency. The figures who grace the cover of Time are said to be chosen due to their impact on society, whether good or bad.
Until now, former president Richard M. Nixon has appeared on Time¡¯s cover the most times, gracing 60 editions. President George W. Bush comes in second with 38 appearances and Lady Diana tops the list of women having appeared on nine covers. Obama has appeared on the cover 11 times this year.
Excluding the Asia edition, Koreans have graced the cover five times. Former South Korean president Syngman Rhee appeared on the cover in 1950 and in 1953 as the ¡°Father¡± of a country mired in the Korean War. In 1987, former South Korean president Chun Doo-hwan appeared as a leader in crisis following the upheaval caused by the killing of student activist Park Chong-chul. Former North Korean leader Kim Il-sung appeared on Time¡¯s cover in 1994 and his son Kim Jong-il in 2003, both due to their nuclear brinkmanship.
Michelle Rhee, the Korean-American education chancellor, appeared on the cover of the Dec. 8 edition holding a broom inside a classroom alongside the caption: ¡°Can Michelle Rhee save our schools?¡± The photo encompasses hopes that Rhee will rid Washington¡¯s public schools of inept teachers. The article lauded her as having achieved in 17 months what it took 5 years for others to do.
When the 37-year-old Korean-American woman with no experience of running education institutions was appointed to take over the region¡¯s public schools, Time reported her appointment had been criticized as ¡°the worst pick on the face of the earth.¡± But now, 17 months later, Rhee has emerged as the savior of America¡¯s public school system, which is mired in crisis.
It is our wish that we can send our school chancellors to Washington D.C. so that they may listen to Rhee¡¯s lectures.
The column was contributed by Chosun Ilbo in-house columnist Kim Dong-seop.
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