Is ex-President Lee behind political attack over UAE?
Liberty Korea Party Chairman Hong Joon-pyo, left, shakes hands with former President Lee Myung-bak during a visit to Lee’s office in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, Wednesday. / Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon
By Jun Ji-hye
Suspicions are growing that former President Lee Myung-bak may be behind the main opposition Liberty Korea Party’s (LKP) attacks against the Moon Jae-in government over alleged problems in bilateral relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The conservative party has ratcheted up its attacks against the Moon administration since Im Jong-seok, presidential chief of staff, visited the Middle Eastern country in December.
The attacks have intensified recently, with LKP members meeting with Lee increasingly more often.
LKP Chairman Hong Joon-pyo met with Lee Wednesday, while Reps. Chung Jin-suk, Park Soon-ja and Lee Eun-jae attended a New Year’s meeting held at Lee’s residence Monday.
The main opposition party claimed the Moon government has caused trouble in relations with the UAE while seeking politically motivated revenge on the conservative bloc.
Hong said the ruling Democratic Party of Korea should accept the LKP’s demand for a parliamentary investigation into the various suspicions surrounding Im’s visit to the UAE.
Floor leader Rep. Kim Sung-tae also said, “The Moon government impaired the nation’s credit and caused a crisis in Korean firms’ projects being conducted in the UAE.”
The LKP’s mounting attacks have led to speculation former President Lee is playing a role in stirring controversy over the Moon government while deliberately releasing selected information.
At the time of Im’s visit, Cheong Wa Dae said the visit was meant to boost the morale of Korean soldiers stationed there and enhance bilateral ties, but rumors were raised that the visit was actually aimed at mitigating the UAE’s concerns over the possible impact of President Moon’s nuclear phase-out policy on a $40 billion bilateral deal.
Under the deal, signed in 2009 under the Lee Myung-bak government, Seoul was to build and operate four nuclear reactors in the Middle Eastern country.
Various media outlets reported the UAE has criticized the Moon government for carrying out the nuclear phase-out policy and harboring suspicions that corruption was involved in the 2009 deal via a double contract.
The government’s alleged move to withdraw Korean troops from the UAE has also created speculation about the ties between the two countries, including one that Korean firms have had difficulty running projects in the UAE. This speculation seemed to be backed by the fact Im met with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won before leaving for the UAE.
Cheong Wa Dae said Im’s meeting with Chey was unrelated to the chief of staff’s visit to the UAE.
The defense ministry also denied Wednesday that the government has considered withdrawing troops from the UAE.
For his part, former President Lee denied rumors of the double contract in the 2009 deal. However, later he mentioned a “revelation,” saying “I cannot say anything (about Im’s visit to the UAE) as anything I say will reveal something.”
Lee has been at odds with the Moon government as state prosecutors look into various suspicions involving him, his aides and his family members as part of Moon’s initiative to eradicate wrongdoings of the former governments.