Lee apologizes for bribery scandals

President Lee Myung-bak

President Lee Myung-bak offered an apology for the corruption row involving his elder brother Lee Sang-deuk and aides Tuesday.

His brother and political mentor is scheduled to be soon indicted on charges of receiving bribes from troubled savings banks.

This is the sixth time that President Lee has made a public apology since he took office in February 2008. The President made his first and second apologies after his inauguration in connection with demonstrations over his decision to allow the resumption of imports of U.S. beef.

“I offer my sincere apologies for (the scandals) that have caused the people to be worried,” Lee said during a press briefing held without prior notice.

“I was going to wait until the investigation results (regarding his elder brother) are made public. But I changed my mind and concluded that I had better address my frank feelings first because I thought that’s what I am supposed to do as a leader.”

Reading the public statement that he wrote on his own, a grim-faced Lee said it was heart-wrenching to watch the developments in the case involving his brother every day.

“From the beginning of my presidency, I stood firm on clean politics and made my own effort to achieve this by donating my wealth and even my salary to the community,” he said. “There was a moment that I felt my efforts bore fruit to some extent. But unfortunate things were done by those who are close to me and they broke my heart.”

Lee noted he would not blame others for the unfortunate cases and would take responsibility for them, ascribing it to his fault.

He left the briefing room without taking any questions from reporters.

Due to its timing, the presidential statement came as a surprise. Earlier in the day there were no signs that President Lee would offer an apology over the corruption cases involving his relatives and aides.

A high-ranking official from the presidential office told reporters that he was informed of the public statement 45 minutes before Lee left for the briefing. On condition of anonymity, the official said Lee chose the words and wrote the statement.

Earlier, Cheong Wa Dae officials said Lee would express regret over the corruption scandals after the prosecution indicts his elder brother Lee Sang-deuk for his alleged involvement in the bribery case later this week. The former lawmaker is under investigation for receiving some 600 million won from two savings banks, an allegation he has denied.

From last year, several of Lee’s relatives and aides were accused of having received money from businesspeople or were involved in corruption scandals. Some of them were put behind bars after the allegations were found to be true.

Parties showed mixed reactions to the presidential apology. The ruling Saenuri Party called on the President to draw up measures to prevent corruption rows.

The main opposition Democratic United Party commented that the statement was overdue, disappointing and lacked content.

Previously, Lee twice made public apologies over the resumption of beef imports from the United States in 2008, and offered one more after announcing that he would reconsider the Sejong City plan in 2009.

Last year, President Lee expressed regret after the government scrapped the plan to construct an international airport in the southeastern region of the nation, which was one of his presidential campaign pledges. <The Korea Times/Kang Hyun-kyung>

news@theasian.asia