Rep. Yoo Seong-min of the conservative opposition Bareun Party on Wednesday paid homage to the late President Roh Moo-hyun at his southern hometown of Bongha.

The tribute is a rare move by a right-leaning politician in a country that is still deeply divided over the legacy of the iconic liberal leader who committed suicide following corruption accusations. 

“President Roh started low but became the president through a dramatic turnaround,” said Rep. Yoo, paying tribute at the late president’s tomb. The lawmaker is a presidential aspirant who currently has relatively low support, hoping to eke out a similar win. 

The former president took up an “obstinate fight” against social injustice and the nation’s rampant regionalism, which eventually opened the way for his rise to the presidency, he added. 

“(I would also strive for) a brave reform to create a righteous democratic republic.”

In his speech at the National Assembly last year, Rep. Yoo, then representing the ruling Saenuri Party, had complimented Roh’s efforts in bringing up the issue of socioeconomic polarization as a serious challenge facing South Korea back in 2006. 

“I visited other former presidents buried at the Seoul National Cemetery yesterday. As all the past administrations had weaknesses and strengths, I wish to inherit their strengths and work for a new era as the nation’s leader,” Rep. Yoo told the reporters. 

He also met Roh’s wife, Kwon Yang-sook at her official residence.  

In the latest figures for potential presidential candidates, released by Korea Research Center on Monday, Rep. Yoo polled at 3.2 percent. 

Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn garnered 11.2 percent support, although he has not yet announced his intentions to run in the election. 

Currently leading the pack is liberal hopeful Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, who stands at 29.8 percent in the same poll conducted on 2,016 citizens from Sunday to Monday. 

Roh held the presidential office from 2003 to 2008. In 2004, he was impeached by the parliament for a breach of election laws, but he was reinstated by the Constitutional Court. He took his own life in 2009 amid an investigation into corruption accusations involving his family members and associates.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)