Lee calls for stern handling of bribery cases involving close aides

SEOUL, Sept. 27 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak called for stern handling of alleged bribery cases involving some of his close aides, saying Tuesday it has been one of his top goals to rid the administration of corruption by presidential aides and relatives.

It was Lee's first comments since two close aides were implicated in bribery scandals.

"Indeed, we can't continue with this situation," Lee said during a Cabinet meeting, according to presidential spokesman Park Jeong-ha. "The closer relatives and aides are to the president, the more strictly they should be dealt with."

Former top presidential press secretary Kim Du-woo has been accused of taking bribes from a lobbyist for a troubled savings bank. Last week, a local businessman also claimed that he gave huge amounts of money to former Vice Culture Minister Shin Jae-min over the past decade.

The allegations were yet another blow to the Lee administration after another former aide was arrested earlier this year for accepting bribes in the savings bank scandal. These cases raised concerns that Lee's government could face the fate of its predecessors.

Previous governments were plagued heavily by corruption cases in their final years in office. Lee's predecessor, the late President Roh Moo-hyun, committed suicide in 2009 amid a prosecution investigation of irregularities involving his relatives.

"When this administration was founded, it was the first time a clean administration had taken office," Lee said. "Therefore, it is one of my goals to make this administration free of corruption involving relatives and aides."

Ending corruption by those who "have influence, power and money" is a mission that South Korea must achieve if it wants to become a "first-class nation," Lee said, lamenting that those in power appear to be "perpetrating more corruption" than ordinary people.

Lee said that such cases should be thoroughly investigated to resolve all suspicions. He also instructed related government agencies to come up with measures to prevent such cases from recurring.

Later Tuesday, Presidential Chief of Staff Yim Tae-hee planned to preside over a meeting of officials from related agencies, including the Board of Audit and Inspection and police, to discuss anti-corruption measures, officials said.