President-elect’s Love Story with Chinese Woman

“South Korean president-elect’s one-time sweetheart was a Chinese woman?”

The Yangtze Daily published in Nanjing reported on December 24 that South Korean President-elect Lee Myung-bak once had a Chinese girlfriend residing in Thailand before his marriage. Following this report, substantial numbers of Chinese media, including Xinhua News, showed great interest, quoting the report.

The Yangtze Daily reported, quoting Lee’s autography entitled “There is No Myth,” that Lee went out with a Chinese woman named Chen Ling in her early 20s when he was single.

Lee’s affectionate love story with a Chinese woman aroused various responses from Chinese netizens. One said, “Her family likely regrets this bitterly by now,” while another hoped, “This will be an opportunity for China and South Korea to form a new relationship.”

orionha@donga.com