On the last day of 2009, President Lee Myung-bak held his last meeting of the year with his aides in which he made a special request from them: raise mental alertness to guard against family-related corruption.
“It’s going to be my third year in office. Please make an effort to ensure that no corruption or other scandals would tarnish our work, including from Cheong Wa Dae and people who work there and their relatives,” Donga llbo cited him as saying.
Lee expressed confidence for being a “clean” president. “A true change is coming (in politics). It’s a historic change. Now there is no businessman who comes to see me, anticipating a personal favor from me.’’
He then turned to his aides: “I ask you to bear the shared moral responsibility.”
Tales of presidential corruption, or corruption committed by president's wives or relatives were commonplace in South Korea’s political scene, seriously undermining their legacy after they step down. Lee’s immediate predecessor, Roh Moo-hyun, jumped to his death amid a government-led corruption probe, which some called politically motivated.