Ex-BOK Gov. Park gives W500m to school

Park Seung, former governor of the Bank of Korea, has donated 500 million won to the elementary school he went to in Gimje, North Jeolla Province.

The small elementary school that he graduated from in 1948 has used the money to build a library.

The 75-year-old Gimje native gave 400 million won in May to start the construction of the library, and recently sent an extra 100 million ahead of its opening slated for April 22.

Park says the money is part of his assets accumulated through investment in stocks and funds as well as bank deposits. He also says that he has never invested in real estate other than the home in which he lives.

He graduated from Seoul National University in 1961 with a major in economics, served as a professor of Chung Ang University from 1976-1988, a senior presidential economic aide in 1988, construction minister in 1989, and the central bank governor from 2002-2006.

(swchun@heraldcorp.com)