Lee Myung-bak appears to be supporting Ban Ki-moon
By Yi Whan-woo
Lee Myung-bak
Former President Lee Myung-bak is apparently backing Ban Ki-moon.
His former chief press officer Lee Dong-kwan said Wednesday that the former President asked him to help Ban “in a discreet manner.”
“When I told Lee that I will help Ban’s campaign, he asked me to help Ban in a discreet matter,” Lee Dong-kwan said during a radio interview. “Mr. Lee is worried about the current political situation.”
Former aides to Lee have sided with Ban. Analysts, however, were skeptical about whether their support will be helpful for Ban in seeking the presidency.
Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University, claimed a number of people tend to view the Park Geun-hye administration as a mere extension of Lee’s in terms of governing style.
Both Park and her predecessor Lee were criticized for carrying out policies unilaterally without listening to the public or consulting with the opposition parties.
“And getting help from Lee’s associates will be seen as Ban trying to inherit the old-fashioned political virtues from both Lee and Park Geun-hye,” Shin said.
Citing that Ban vowed to bring the politically divided country together upon his return to Korea, Jan. 12, Shin said, “Pro-Lee figures won’t be any good in making Ban’s promise convincing.”
He also pointed out many of Lee’s supporters include lawmakers who bolted from the ruling Saenuri Party after being aligned against Park over a corruption scandal surrounding her.
“Regardless of their opposition toward Park, those lawmakers are still responsible for failing to prevent the scandal, in this climate, it will be risky for Ban to highlight his ties with Lee ’s confidants,” Shin explained.
The pro-Lee figures have been among three main groups of Ban’s associates, including retired diplomats and high-profile figures from the Chungcheong region where Ban was born and raised.
One of those figures is Kwak Seung-jun, the former chairman of the Presidential Council for Future and Vision who was the architect of Lee’s signature economic initiative dubbed “MBnomics.”
Sohn Ji-ae, a former CNN Seoul bureau chief who served as Lee’s foreign media spokeswoman, has joined Ban, too.
Some political sources speculated that Lee’s former senior secretary for political affairs Kim Doo-woo and his former labor minister Yim Tae-hee will work for Ban soon.
The sources said some anti-Park lawmakers who created the Bareun Party after leaving the Saenuri Party are interested in helping Ban.
Meanwhile, Lee Dong-kwan refuted the opposition parties’ criticism against Lee’s associates that they are trying to “extend failed governments” by helping Ban.
Lee Dong-kwan claimed that Ban’s biggest rival Moon Jae-in from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is accompanied by former officials who served the late President Roh Moo-hyun, Lee’s predecessor.
“I wonder whether you can call the Roh administration a successful government,” Lee Dong-kwan said.
“Many people think of Roh’s term as a time of political confrontation and conflict. On the other hand, Ban has been away from the country for the past 10 years, meaning he is not held responsible for any domestic political issues. It’s absurd to link his potential presidential bid with past governments.”