SEOUL, May 2 (Korea Bizwire) — More than half of South Koreans oppose granting a pardon to former President Lee Myung-bak, a poll showed Monday, amid rising speculation outgoing President Moon Jae-in may use his clemency powers to set Lee free before he leaves office. The Korea Society Opinion Institute survey of 1,012 adults, conducted [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — South Koreans were almost evenly divided on the idea of granting pardons to two former presidents currently in prison for corruption charges, a hotly debated topic recently brought up by the ruling party chief, a survey showed Wednesday. In a one-day survey by Realmeter conducted on 500 voters nationwide [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a 17-year prison sentence handed down by an appeals court for former President Lee Myung-bak on embezzlement and bribery charges. In February, the 78-year-old was sentenced to 17 years in prison, a fine of 13 billion won (US$10.9 million) and a forfeit of [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — Four major rivers in South Korea have shown marked improvement in water quality and ecosystems after the opening of some weirs built across the rivers under a controversial project of former President Lee Myung-bak, the government said Friday. The Lee administration spent 22 trillion won (US$20 billion) from 2008-2012 [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Overseas resource development projects exceeding 100 billion won (US$89.96 million) will be put through rigorous pre-assessment, a step meant to avoid indiscriminate investment and financial losses, officials said Tuesday. Bills approved by the Cabinet stipulate that such high-cost projects by the Korea National Oil Corp. (KNOC), in which state [...]
SEOUL, Jul. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — Following the release by the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) of a report that claims ex-President Lee Myung-bak’s Four Rivers Project was fraught with irregularities and conducted without proper oversight, a number of civic groups have issued statements in response, denouncing the former leader and calling for his [...]
SEOUL, April 19 (Korea Bizwire) – The corruption trial of former President Lee Myung-bak, who has been indicted over bribery, embezzlement and other charges, will start May 3, a Seoul court said Thursday. Lee, president from 2008 to early 2013, was formally charged last Monday for committing a string of irregularities that largely center on his brother’s lucrative auto parts company, which Lee [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — With local elections on the horizon, South Korea is making all-out efforts to root out fake news, with both the government and online platforms implementing changes and cracking down on questionable content. Speaking at the Korea Press Center last Thursday, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon, acknowledged the serious threat fake news [...]
SEOUL, Mar. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — Former President Lee Myung-bak spent the early hours of Friday alone in a cell at a Seoul detention center after his arrest on corruption charges. Late Thursday night, a Seoul court approved an arrest warrant for Lee on charges that include bribery, embezzlement, tax evasion and abuse of power. [...]
SEOUL, March 19 (Korea Bizwire) – Prosecutors on Monday sought an arrest warrant for former President Lee Myung-bak accused of bribery and other charges. Lee, president from 2008-2013, is suspected of taking about 11 billion won (US$10.3 million) in bribes from the state intelligence agency, businesses and others. He’s also accused of embezzlement and abuse of power. If the warrant is issued, [...]