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Lee Sang-deuk, Park Hee-tae, Choi See-joong |
Corruption scandals involving confidants accelerate president’s fall into lame-duck status
President Lee Myung-bak’s last year in office could be somewhat lonesome with most of his closest confidants being forced to leave his side due to corruption.
The departures of Lee’s confidants are also likely to push him further into lame-duck status, political analysts said.
The conservative leader has already faced isolation, with his ruling Grand National Party trying to distance itself from him ahead of major elections.
Epitomizing the collapse of Lee’s inner circle was the resignation Friday of Choi See-joong from his post as the nation’s top communications regulator.
Dubbed Lee’s political mentor, Choi was one of the most influential figures in the current administration. The former CEO of pollster Gallup Korea had been in the hot seat recently, with his close aides engulfed in corruption scandals.
“Our worry now is President Lee Myung-bak,” Park Eun-ji, a spokesperson for the minority far-left New Progressive Party, said sarcastically. “How lonely he will be after his mentor stepped down in disgrace.”
The NPP and other opposition groups increased their antagonism toward Lee, demanding fair and thorough investigations into a string of corruption accusations against his confidants.
Lee’s closest advisors from his presidential campaign days ― namely the members of the “six-man council” ― are all facing this predicament.
The council, a top decision-making body within Lee’s camp in 2007, included Lee himself, his older brother Lee Sang-deuk, Choi, Park Hee-tae, Lee Jae-oh and Kim Deog-ryong.
Rep. Lee Sang-deuk is under prosecutorial investigation over allegations that his aides received money from businessmen and in return pulled strings to give them favors. Under pressure, he declared he would not seek re-election in the upcoming parliamentary election.
Rep. Park Hee-tae, National Assembly Speak and a key member of a pro-Lee faction within the ruling party, is accused of alleged vote-buying during an intra-party election in 2008 for the ruling GNP’s chairmanship.
Lawmakers from both GNP and opposition parties are demanding Park step down from the parliamentary top post.
Rep. Lee Jae-oh has not been accused of corruption but is being urged to retire, singled out as an old-guard politician responsible for the party’s failure to win voters’ approval.
Former Rep. Kim Deog-ryong disappeared from the scene after he lost the election for a parliamentary seat four years ago.
Further isolating the lame-duck president is the new leadership of the GNP led by Rep. Park Geun-hye, Lee’s long-time intra-party rival and potential successor as president.
A key member of Park’s leadership council openly called on Lee to leave the party, saying that the party must show voters that it has parted with the unpopular president before asking for their votes in the upcoming elections.
Lee’s approval ratings currently hover around 23 percent. He is barred by law from seeking re-election. The election to pick his successor is to be held in December.
By Lee Sun-young (
milaya@heraldcorp.com)
