Rhee was the mayor of Gaoling in 174 AG, where he officiated the first free and fair democratic elections of the State of Gaoling.[2]
History[]
When the democratic elections in the State of Gaoling were perceived to be threatened by Guan and his troops, Mayor Rhee awaited the arrival of King Wu and Team Avatar, who had come to safeguard the elections from any intervention. Accompanied by the elderly chief magistrates Ling and Bak, Rhee showed King Wu and Avatar Korra around Gaoling city hall and the room where everything was in order for the voting to take place. He explained that Ling and Bak, two of Gaoling's finest magistrates, were the sole candidates for governor, but he was confident that either of them would make a fine governor.
Shortly after Wu and Korra left, Rhee ran outside city hall to see Kuvira being taken down by Asami's invention after confronting her former Commander Guan and the remaining Earth Empire loyalists. With the conflict over, he received Guan's paperwork that marked the commander's official candidacy for governor of Gaoling. When Wu protested, Rhee noted that since everyone could join the open elections and that Guan's paperwork was in order, there was nothing stopping the commander from entering the race.[2]
Rhee met Korra and Wu again when they returned to Gaoling with Toph Beifong to register her as a new gubernatorial candidate. As he read the contents of electoral procedures aloud to her, he was interrupted by Toph flippantly asking him to just show her where she should sign, which he showed her. When Toph asked him what her chances to win the election were, Rhee informed her that if she had asked him the day prior, he would have said that she would easily win, but considering there had been a groundswell in support for Guan that occurred practically overnight, it remained to be seen.[3]
A brainwashed Wu and his guards later approached the mayor and told him that he wanted a word about the election. Rhee enthusiastically accepted his request, informing him that the citizens of Gaoling would cast their votes in less than a week. Wu monotonously rebuffed that there had been a change of plans, and decreed that the election would take place that day. Rhee queried this, raising that the voters would not even know to show up, but Wu informed him that they were already there, pointing to a mass of citizens holding signs in support of Guan. The king told him that he decided that the move to democracy could not wait any longer for the good of the kingdom, and issued his royal decree to the mayor. Rhee requested a few days to inform the other precincts about the change in the interest of fairness, but Wu angrily asked how the mayor could dare to defy his king, causing the mayor to apologize and begin to let the voters in.
As a direct result of Wu's decree, Guan won the election by a landslide. Shortly after, the newly elected governor chose to arrest Mayor Rhee. The mayor pleaded with the governor to be spared, offering to be of great assistance to his administration, but the Earth Empire commander told him that although Gaoling thanked him for his years of service, he was no longer needed, Earth Empire soldiers escorting him outside the building.
Rhee was present when Wu announced that he would not resign as the Earth Kingdom's monarch.
Rhee was released after Guan and the Earth Empire stood down after Kuvira forced the commander to surrender. As Gaoling's citizens gathered in city hall to have their brainwashing reversed, Rhee told Korra that he could not thank her enough, and that Gaoling's citizens would still be under Guan's control without her help. Korra told the mayor that he ought to thank Kuvira for taking matters into her own hands. The mayor proceeded to ask Wu if they should move ahead with the election as originally scheduled, considering everything that happened. The mayor was present outside Gaoling City Hall when Wu gave his speech proclaiming that the Earth Kingdom would need more time to move to democracy, with each state setting its own timetable according to its citizens' wishes.[4]
Appearances[]
Graphic novels[]
- Ruins of the Empire trilogy
References[]
- ↑ DiMartino, Michael Dante (October 19, 2018). Final draft of Ruins of the Empire Part One script, page 63.. Retrieved on December 5, 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 DiMartino, Michael Dante (writer), Wong, Michelle (artist), Ng, Killian (colorist). Ruins of the Empire Part One (May 21, 2019), Dark Horse Comics.
- ↑ DiMartino, Michael Dante (writer), Wong, Michelle (artist), Ng, Killian (colorist). Ruins of the Empire Part Two (November 12, 2019), Dark Horse Comics.
- ↑ DiMartino, Michael Dante (writer), Wong, Michelle (artist), Ng, Killian (colorist). Ruins of the Empire Part Three (February 25, 2020), Dark Horse Comics.