Lee Praises Defense Minister

President-elect Lee Myung-bak visited the Defense Ministry on Friday to support Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo (picture) and his staff.

The president-elect engaged the minister during the entire visit and was not short on encouragement and praise about him.

“You did a good job when you visited North Korea. You were so tall that you towered over [North Korean leader Kim Jong Il], ” said President-elect Lee.

"Any defense minister would have done the same thing,” Minister Kim humbly replied.

Lee commended Kim, who visited the North as part of an official entourage during the Korea summit talks last October, for handshaking the North Korean leader’s hand without bowing to him.

The defense minister, who showed his grit on behalf of his 600,000-strong military, earning the nickname, “Iron-willed Commander.” In contrast, Kim Man-bok, the head of the National Intelligence Office, was criticized for bowing to the North Korean leader.

The military community believes Lee likes the defense minister, who stayed his course though it ran counter to the current administration’s policy on the North.

Kim consistently blocked the current administration’s attempt to modify the Northern Limit Line (NLL) last year. The administration argued that the NLL was not a territorial borderline so that it could be redrawn. As conflicts over the NLL grew, some people said that Kim would be dismissed. Kim, however, did not give up.

Many experts see the president-elect’s visit to the defense ministry as a sign that he will significantly alter the current administration’s national security policies as the next commander-in-chief. Moreover, Lee appreciated the fact that the minister proved to be an ideal defense minister.

It was the first time ever for the president-elect to visit the defense ministry. The military community is encouraged to see that Lee visited them before visiting many other government organizations.

There was a rumor that Kim’s term would be extended due to Lee’s positive appreciation of him.

As the former general seemed to be agitated by the rumor, Kim responded, “It is not true. Never mind me. Just do your best to complete your mission.”

Asked whether Kim would stay in office, lawmaker Jeong Du-eon, a close associate of President-elect Lee, said, “Some people say so, but he doesn’t want the job. There is nothing we can do.”

ysh1005@donga.com