A "tearful record" of five years and two months spent longing for the Republic of Korea he had helped build.

This book is a historical reportage that records the 'last five years' of Syngman Rhee, the founding president of the Republic of Korea, and a persistent investigative record that seeks to correct the distorted memories of modern Korean history.
When the April 19 Revolution occurred in 1960, he greatly praised the students' sense of justice and then voluntarily stepped down from power.
After spending about a month in the private funeral home, he left for Hawaii on May 29th.
For Syngman Rhee, it was a 'brief trip' with his wife Francesca, but he was immediately branded an 'exile.'
It was because the media's false reports became history.
However, it is not well known that in reality, he was not in exile but was only going to Hawaii for 'convalescence', and that he longed more earnestly than anyone else to return to his country.

The author has been persistently researching for 30 years, and based on local investigations, testimonies, and extensive historical materials, he has reconstructed the little-known later years of Syngman Rhee and his wife.
The reader vividly encounters the daily life of the old president, who longed for his hometown with Mrs. Francesca, and the tragic ending of his desperate wish to return home but having to close his eyes in a foreign land.
At the same time, this book retraces the origins of the two camps, 'conservatives and progressives', through Syngman Rhee.
It sharply points out that the progressive faction that originated from the Democratic Party of Korea, the conservative faction that continued with the Liberal Party, and the history of betrayal and self-deception embedded within them have led to today's division.
The author reminds us that only when rational conservatism and rational progressivism work together can South Korea move forward into the future, through the sentence, “When conservatism becomes sick, the far right rises, and when progressivism becomes sick, the far left rises.”

“The Life and Death of the Founding President” is not a simple biography or memoir.
Through the figure of Syngman Rhee as an old and sick individual, it shows the tenacity and patriotism of a man who planted the seeds of liberal democracy, and poses a question that Korean society today must reflect on.
Although this book is thin, its weight will resonate deeply with the reader.

As the black sedan carrying the president raced to Gimpo Airport under police escort, only the jeep carrying the Kyunghyang Shinmun reporter followed behind.
At the airport, Prime Minister Huh Jeong and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lee Su-yeong came out to see off Syngman Rhee.
Syngman Rhee told Heo Jeong, "I'm going to take a short break in Hawaii and come back before Ike comes."
This was said regarding US President Eisenhower's visit to Korea.
Heo Jeong said goodbye, "Don't worry, get some rest."
At the time, the plane was chartered by Korean residents in Hawaii who had pooled their funds to build a Free China Airlines plane, and when the president arrived, the flight attendants were eating at the airport restaurant.
While the departure was delayed, reporter Yoon Yang-joong and a photographer were able to board the plane and interview the President and Madame Francesca.

Reporter Yoon Yang-joong - “How are you feeling right now?”
Mrs. Francesca - “I have resigned in disgrace and am here.”
Reporter Yoon Yang-joong - “Do you have anything else to say?”
Mrs. P – “I love Korea.
I love Korea...”
Syngman Rhee - “Let him go quietly.
“I just want to leave.”

That afternoon, the Kyunghyang Shinmun distributed a special edition.
As the black sedan carrying the president raced to Gimpo Airport under police escort, only the jeep carrying the Kyunghyang Shinmun reporter followed behind.
At the airport, Prime Minister Huh Jeong and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lee Su-yeong came out to see off Syngman Rhee.
Syngman Rhee told Heo Jeong, "I'm going to take a short break in Hawaii and come back before Ike comes."
This was said regarding US President Eisenhower's visit to Korea.
Heo Jeong said goodbye, "Don't worry, get some rest."
At the time, the plane was chartered by Korean residents in Hawaii who had pooled their funds to build a Free China Airlines plane, and when the president arrived, the flight attendants were eating at the airport restaurant.
While the departure was delayed, reporter Yoon Yang-joong and a photographer were able to board the plane and interview the President and Madame Francesca.

Reporter Yoon Yang-joong - “How are you feeling right now?”
Mrs. Francesca - “I have resigned in disgrace and am here.”
Reporter Yoon Yang-joong - “Do you have anything else to say?”
Mrs. P – “I love Korea.
I love Korea...”
Syngman Rhee - “Let him go quietly.
“I just want to leave.”

That afternoon, the Kyunghyang Shinmun distributed a special edition.
--- p.61 From “When Misinformation Becomes a Global Issue”

The first question Syngman Rhee asked as he sat down on the living room sofa, as if taking his adopted son by the hand, was, “What is happening to our country now?”

“Many people are working hard for the country right now, so things will go well.
“Don’t worry.”
Mr. Lee In-su answered cautiously.

“Is that so? If the country is doing well, that’s a good thing.… But… Don’t believe what others say about things being well, well done.… I… I… am cut off like this… Things aren’t that easy for our country…”
A confession of regret and a word of advice - "The affairs of our country are not that easy" - this one line from the founding president is a famous saying that the 12 presidents who followed him, and those who will follow, will inevitably agree with.
--- p.123 From “When will I go to my land?”

From the end of that year, when he arrived in Hawaii after leaving, Dr. Lee began to feel anxious because his return to Korea was delayed without reason.
He began to require assistance because he had difficulty walking, and he had to frequently visit Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC) for various geriatric conditions.
The couple, who had only packed simple clothes, believing that their stay would last at most a month, began to feel their limitations as their stay at the villa continued to grow longer and longer, approaching six months.
The same was true for his close associates.
Above all, the distance between the beach villa and the city center was a problem.
It took more than 40 minutes to drive to the city, crossing a high mountain like a folding screen.
--- p.148 From "'Another Frustrated Trip to Seoul', p.61, 'When Misinformation Becomes a Global Issue'"

The first question Syngman Rhee asked as he sat down on the living room sofa, as if taking his adopted son by the hand, was, “What is happening to our country now?”

“Many people are working hard for the country right now, so things will go well.
“Don’t worry.”
Mr. Lee In-su answered cautiously.

“Is that so? If the country is doing well, that’s a good thing.… But… Don’t believe what others say about things being well, things being well.… I… I… am so cut off… Things aren’t that easy for our country….”
A confession of regret and a word of advice - "The affairs of our country are not that easy" - this one line from the founding president is a famous saying that the 12 presidents who followed him, and those who will follow, will inevitably agree with.
--- p.123 From “When will I go to my land?”

From the end of that year, when he arrived in Hawaii after leaving, Dr. Lee began to feel anxious because his return to Korea was delayed without reason.
He began to require assistance because he had difficulty walking, and he had to frequently visit Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC) for various geriatric conditions.
The couple, who had only packed simple clothes, believing that their stay would last at most a month, began to feel their limitations as their stay at the villa continued to grow longer and longer, approaching six months.
The same was true for his close associates.
Above all, the distance between the beach villa and the city center was a problem.
It took more than 40 minutes to drive to the city, crossing a high mountain like a folding screen.

--- p.148 From “‘Another Frustrated Trip to Seoul’”