Roh may say he has nobody to blame but himself, but the Korean public, who have to endure this sight for the first time in a decade, are at a loss of words. Most of all, Korea's dignity has been impacted. What must the world be thinking as it watches this saga unfold?

Despite his relative obscurity at the time of the 2002 presidential election, Roh's political savvy enabled him to defeat a formidable contender by winning the support of voters who had had enough of corruption. Roh criticized the political establishment of being a "privileged class tainted by corruption" and launched a campaign called the "piggy bank of hope," using it as a brilliant event to highlight his corruption-free election campaign financed by donations from the public. And when he became president, Roh wrote off Korea's modern history as the "defeat of justice," "abandonment of integrity" and the "rise of opportunism."

At a New Year's gathering in January of 2007, his final year in office, Roh said illicit ties between businesses and politicians had finally been severed and that he was being told by businesses that they were no longer receiving any demands from politicians for money, while politicians and government workers were no longer receiving requests for favors. He also said that words such as "backroom dealing," "close associates" and "vassal" had disappeared, while transparency had improved dramatically among public servants. The reason Roh was able to endure despite his failure in government was due to the last strand of hope the public had that he would at least maintain his sense of ethics. But the legacy of the Roh administration is crumbling before our very eyes as prosecutors reveal incident after incident that show its hypocrisy.

Roh kept his mouth shut after prosecutors began investigating those around him, but he finally admitted part of the truth when prosecutors began raising the pressure on a former presidential secretary who had served as the steward for the presidential household. Roh said his wife got the man to take W1 billion (US$1=W1,353) from Park, which was used to repay a debt. In his hometown, Park was known to be generous in his payments to politicians, bureaucrats and regional government officials. But judging from his tainted track record, he was not a character worthy of the friendship of a country's president. Yet throughout his term, Roh was unable to sever his cozy ties to this suspect businessman.

Whether Roh borrowed W1.5 billion from Park after his presidential term ended or whether W1 billion was handed over at the request of the former first lady, the web of ties can be seen from the fact that discussions took place with these people regarding the formation of a foundation that would serve as the ex-president's political stage. Until just recently, there were rumors that Roh was suffering from a lot of stress due to his older brother, Gun-pyeong, who happens to be greedy. The older brother, who Roh said was a humble farmer, turned out to be a shrewd and jaded political power broker who used his influence to find prominent jobs for those who paid him and also facilitated business deals by using his connections. If Roh's comments are true, then Gun-pyeong's 36-year-old son-in-law had engaged in an international business using US$5 million of Park's money, which the ex-president himself said "appeared to have been a good-will gesture."

Nobody knows whether it was the former president or his brother who began to take money first. Everyone around Roh has been involved in some type of corruption. The key figures of his administration who had been going around touting "a society without foul play" were actually experts in it.

If there is one thing Roh can do for the enraged public it is to tell the truth. The "apology" he wrote is no more than a memo containing the legal strategy that Roh the attorney intends to use in court by hiding what needs to be hidden and by passing the blame.

During his five years in office, Roh never showed respect for the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Korea. When the National Election Commission pointed to an election law violation he had committed, Roh would simply call the law outdated, and when the Constitutional Court ruled that his plan to move the capital was unconstitutional, he bypassed the ruling by starting to build a comprehensive administrative city.

Now he seems to think about using the law to shield his mistakes. But this would only make the public angrier. What Roh needs do now is not to exercise his legal skills, which he used to his benefit when they suited his interests and dropped when they did not fit his goals. What he needs to do is tell the truth. His final duty is to come clean and ensure that the future will not see the emergence of another Roh Moo-hyun.