By Lee Tae-hoon
Lee Sang-deuk, former six-term term lawmaker and older brother of President Lee Myung-bak, is facing strong criticism over a planned visit to Bolivia to fine tune a deal for the development of lithium reserves in the western South American country.
Lee is expected to travel to Bolivia in early July.
His aide claims that the former legislator has been scheduling a meeting with Bolivian President Evo Morales on behalf of a consortium of six Korean companies which will sign a $3 million project to set up a joint venture with Bolivia’s state-run miner.
But critics denounced Lee in light of the fact that he currently has no official title including his former position as a legislator and is merely a brother of the state’s chief executive.
“Former lawmaker Lee Sang-deuk is a person who should be investigated by prosecutors and summoned to the National Assembly once a parliamentary probe is launched against him,” Rep. Park Jie-won, floor leader of the main opposition Democratic United Party, said Monday.
“I advice President Lee’s relatives that they should not meddle with state affairs under the pretext of pursuing resource diplomacy. I demand former lawmaker Lee restrain himself.”
The elder Lee has been embroiled in a number of bribery scandals, ranging from an alleged receipt of 400 million won ($344,322) in return for lobbying to deter the closure of a savings bank and influence-peddling to help Mirae Savings Bank attract investment.
Prosecutors have also indicted his former aide Park Bae-su for receiving kickbacks worth 600 million won from SLS Group chairman Lee Kuk-chul in exchange for influence peddling.
Park Young-joon, a former aide to Lee and former vice minister of knowledge economy, is also accused of masterminding an illegal surveillance of civilians and receiving kickbacks from Lee Jeong-bae, a former representative of the construction project named Picity, in 2006 and 2007 in return for helping the project approved by Seoul City.
However, lawmakers of the ruling Saenuri Party and industry insiders expressed caution over the issue, saying the national interest is at stake over Lee’s visit to Bolivia.
“We should refrain from interpreting it as a political matter,” Rep. Kim Young-woo, spokesman of the ruling Saenuri Party, said.
He noted that Lee’s upcoming visit will pave the way for Korea to conclude a landmark deal with the Bolivian government in establishing a joint company with Bolivia’s government-run miner, Comibol, for the manufacturing of anode materials used to produce lithium batteries.
Kang Cheon-ku, a director at the Korea Resources Corporation (KRC), also pointed out that Lee’s visit has been arranged upon the request of Korean companies that will participate in the lithium development project.
“It is of the utmost importance that Lee, who has built up strong trust with Bolivian President Evo Morales to come with us,” he said. “The KRC CEO made 11 business trips to Bolivia, but has never been able to meet with Morales, who has the final saying in the signing of the historical deal with Korea, without Lee’s help.”
He noted that Lee had talks with Morales six times in Bolivia and helped him to have a state visit to Korea, during which the two countries signed an memorandum of understanding in the development of the Latin America’s rich natural resources.
Moon Seong-kon, a senior aide to Lee, said that Lee is in dilemma over the trip as he believes he can play an important role in helping Korean companies finalize a lithium deal, but also wants to avoid unnecessary suspicions.
Meanwhile, netizens cast strong suspicion over President Lee’s brother’s trip to the energy-rich Latin American nation, saying the scandal-ridden politician might be trying to divert the public attention from his irregularities and seeking an unsolicited commission from the bilateral project.