hankyoreh

Lee Myung-bak, the presidential candidate of the main opposition Grand National Party, said that he would take responsibility for his actions, if it is proven that he was involved in stock manipulation at the now-defunct investment firm BBK, putting his bid for the presidency at stake. The key figure in that case is to be extradited later this month, just before the December 19 election. Lee may also be in for another battle, though this time from within his own party, as it is likely that former GNP chairman Lee Hoi-chang will choose to launch his presidential bid soon.

In a forum with media editors on November 5, Lee said, “If elected, if I am found to be involved in the BBK case, I will take full responsibility for that, putting the presidency at stake.”

Regarding the possibility that Lee Hoi-chang, the former GNP chairman, will announce his presidential bid, the GNP candidate said, “I was never in doubt about his potential presidential bid because I believed in his affection (for the party he founded). I will continue to persuade him (to think of the future of the party),” Lee said.

As for the BBK case, Lee said, “If I were involved in the case, wouldn’t it be strange, because no shareholders have filed any complaints against me? If people continue to tell lies, I will have to take legal action,” Lee said. “When Kim Kyung-jun (director of BBK) returns home, it seems like many politicians will want to take advantage of his presence in the political arena. That indicates that the level of Korean politics is too nasty,” Lee said. “The prosecutors must be fair,” he added.

Asked whether he would give up his candidacy if he is found to be the real owner of DAS, which is owned by Lee’s elder brother Sang-eun and brother-in-law Kim Jae-jeong, Lee avoided answering directly, saying “I will not give a rash answer like, ‘Whenever they ask me, l will take responsibility.’”

He continued, “The law should be changed so that presidents have to resign when they have problems. Then, we can prevent candidates from being elected by all means, regardless of whether it’s fair or unfair. The National Tax Service has already investigated 97 people around me, but nothing was found. That means my life was fair,” Lee added.

Lee has been facing allegations that he was involved in stock manipulation at the now-defunct investment firm, BBK. The case emerged last year when Kim Kyung-jun, who was BBK’s director, was arrested for embezzlement and stock manipulation and fled to the United States, where he is now awaiting extradition. There has been uncertainty about Lee’s involvement in the firm, and its related holding companies, though he has thus far been cleared of all charges.

A 10-million-won luxury bag of Kim Yoon-ok, Lee’s wife, was also one of the topics during the forum. “When I was the mayor of Seoul, I turned 60. At that time, I planned to take a vacation, but didn’t go until I stepped down. So, my three son-in-laws presented the bag to my wife. But, I think it was wrong.”

In 2002, Lee was the subject of gossip because his son, Shi-hyeong, was wearing foreign-made sandals. “He bought the sandals in Itaewon for 30,000 won, but the story wasn’t reported,” Lee said.

On October 8, Lee said he had had a luncheon meeting with former GNP chairman Lee Hoi-chang, who is likely to join the presidential race. “When I met the former chairman, he said, ‘Let’s join forces to change the powers in government.’ So I wasn’t prepared for the news that he would launch a presidential bid,” Lee said. “Because he is a very thoughtful and reasonable man, and he values righteousness, I consider it my duty to try to continue to persuade him to do otherwise,” Lee said.

There has been increasing speculation about whether the GNP candidate will form an alliance with former GNP chairwoman Park Geun-hye, who lost the party nomination to Lee in August. This, however, does not look likely after Lee Jae-oh, who is one of Lee Myung-bak’s key confidants and a GNP senior council member, made an attempt to apologize to Park after he made comments to the effect that he had no tolerance for anyone who was unwilling to recognize the candidate. Park rejected the apology and has said that she sees no reason to meet with Lee.

Following this incident and regarding a possible alliance with Park, Lee said, “Lee Jae-oh, the GNP’s top member, should understand that any remarks that break the party’s unity won’t be tolerated. I will do my best to strengthen party unity,” Lee said.

In addition, Lee said, “Let’s not try to think about the fact that chaebols own financial institutions. We set up a bank of people with many small- and medium-sized companies and people joined. The top four chaebols may get less favorable treatment,” Lee said.

Regarding the issue of South Korea’s regaining wartime control of the military from the United States, Lee said, “I have commented about a possible extension after 2012. Diplomatically, it’s not easy to renegotiate. I think it’s appropriate for the two sides to negotiate about a possible extension, depending on geopolitical circumstances.”



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