[Yeitsuda] The Value of a Politician's Name

The Names Left Behind and the Names Inscribed: Who Decides Their Value?

Between "Write as you see and hear" and "Engrave My Name"

Kennedy never put his own name on the Kennedy Center. The original name was the 'National Cultural Center.' After John F. Kennedy was assassinated, the U.S. Congress named it after him in 1964, making it a "living memorial." In effect, the living gifted their name to a dead president.

Workers are changing the name engraved on the exterior wall of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., USA, to "Donald J Trump-John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts." Photo by AFP/Yonhap News

Sixty-two years later, a name was removed from the building. The board led by President Donald Trump added 'Donald J. Trump' to the front of the Center's name, but the court ruled that only Congress has the authority to change the name. Around 3 a.m. this past June, fourteen workers removed the 18 letters spelling out "The Donald J. Trump and" from the building's exterior. The board tried again in August to engrave Trump's name on the building and plaza, but this month the court blocked it once more.

Around the same time in Korea, the process of rewriting a politician's name was completed. On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of former President Roh Moo-hyun's birth, the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation published the first official biography of Roh. Former Blue House spokesperson Yoon Taeyoung spent ten years reviewing over 160 unpublished records—oral histories and speeches from the Roh Moo-hyun Archives—as well as more than 600 notebooks he himself kept, to write the 928-page biography. The principle guiding his writing was a statement left by Roh during his lifetime: "Write only what you see and hear. Don't exaggerate or deliberately leave things out."

On one side, people are trying to carve the name of a living president into stone. On the other, people are rereading the name of a deceased president across 928 pages. Rather than conclude this contrast with comments about humility or its lack, it is more interesting to ask: at what point does a politician's name stop belonging to themselves?

The Korean expression 'name value' carries a peculiar duality. It refers both to the worth of a famous name and to the responsibility to live up to that name. A politician's name carries both at once. During their lifetime, it is printed on election posters and serves as a brand representing policies and political parties; but the moment they step down from power, others start to use their name. Supporters seek to inherit it, opponents use it for criticism. Scholars interpret it, and future politicians invoke it as needed. The name has one official owner, but its users multiply over time.

Secretary Yoon Taeyoung and President Roh Moo-hyun are reviewing documents together at the Blue House. During his lifetime, President Roh told Yoon Taeyoung, "Write as you saw and heard." Roh Moo-hyun Foundation

This is why what happened at the Kennedy Center carries meaning beyond a simple battle over signage. According to internal documents obtained by The Washington Post, after the Trump side took control of the center's management, ticket sales declined, and after the name change, the drop in donations and business income was even steeper. This year's total income forecast for the center was about 124 million dollars, a substantial decrease from the original budget of about 220 million dollars. The center's management counters that they inherited financial problems from the previous administrators and claims that adding Trump's name actually attracted new donations. It cannot be definitively said that the name change alone caused the financial difficulties.

Even so, one thing is clear: just because a board can assign a name does not mean audiences will value it accordingly. The courts rule on legal authority, audiences buy tickets, and donors open their wallets. The value of a politician's name is created from the overlap of these different judgments.

Likewise, the fact that the biography of Roh Moo-hyun is "official" does not mean it marks the end of historical judgment. It is a book written by an aide who was at his side for nearly 20 years and planned by the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation. Yoon Taeyoung explained that he tried to preserve Roh's words and records as faithfully as possible rather than inject his own judgment. There are those who remember Roh as a politician who kept his principles, and there are those who criticize or were disappointed by his decisions. Rather than a final verdict on the controversy, this biography should be seen as a thick new edition for continued reading.

Kennedy did not put his own name on a building; others did. Trump’s name was attached by the board but removed by the courts. Now, Roh Moo-hyun’s name is being reread inside a book.

Politicians can make their names large; they can publish books, create memorials, and have their names engraved on buildings. But they never have the power to determine how people will read those names. That is why the words Roh left behind remain so significant.

"Write as you see and hear."

The value of a politician's name is ultimately determined by what comes after those words.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.