[Editorial] Nephew of First Lady, Now Brother of First Lady

In the midst of the suspicions about the sons of the President and the nephew of First Lady, now another suspicion was raised that Mr. Lee Sung-Ho, the brother of First Lady, exerted his influences on the foundation of a venture company.

Mr. Lee participated in the foundation ceremony of HandyTechKorea, Co. Ltd. and gave a word of encouragement in August 2000 and the many influential figures of the government who are acquainted with Mr. Lee also attended the ceremony and took a picture for celebration. The venture company was bankrupted soon and the owner of the company ran away to China.

The relation of Mr. Lee to this company and whether he benefited something out of this company is not revealed in detail. However, it is certain that the status of Mr. Lee as a brother of First Lady considerably affected on the foundation of the company. If not, how come a wreath from the Prime Minister was delivered and many influential politicians and government officials participated in the foundation ceremony? The power of Mr. Lee could be imagine by the fact that those influential figures took a picture around him.

The problem lies in the fact that the innocent investors who put their money into such company that was founded with the celebration of the celebrities are damaged by the bankruptcy of the company. The rumor is hanging around already that the large stockholders shared the invested money as they wished. Therefore, the assertion of the opposition party that it is a venture fraud by selling the names of political powers is understandable.

There is no other President whose relatives were all covered by the suspicions as in this government. One of them who must be especially prudent seems to active engage in a project for benefit. But the investigation is stumbling and the suspicions have been accumulated.

A thorough investigation is the only way to resolve the suspicion and the case of Mr. Lee is no exception.