After leaving the Blue House nine months ago, Lee Myung-bak has continued to attract the kind of real estate scandals that plagued the final year of his term. The owner of a Chinese restaurant at a building Lee owned has sued his foundation for ₩600 million (USD $566,995) after they refused to pay the tenant for renovation work. The story renewed public anger regarding a shady property deal at the end of Lee’s term during which his eldest son Lee Si-young allegedly embezzled won ₩970 million (USD $916,642).
Online, netizens scorned Lee for trying to cheat and swindle yet again, and vowed to never forget that he broke his promise to give his entire fortune to charity after he left office. The recipient of Lee’s donation, the Cheonggye Foundation, is chaired by Lee’s brother-in-law and seen as a smokescreen for his continuing business activities.
Article From Kukmin Daily:
Former President Lee Myung-bak faces civil lawsuit filed by Chinese restaurant owner.
The Seoul Chinese restaurant that is at the center of the lawsuit.
It has been revealed that former President Lee Myung-bak is the target of a lawsuit by a tenant of the building President Lee once owned.
According to legal sources, on November 15, Tenant ‘A’ filed a mediation petition in August with the Seoul Central District Court against the former president and a foundation named Chenggye he set up, demanding 600 million won for building expansion and interior refurbishment Mr. A conducted.
Beginning in October of 1994, the plaintiff ran a Chinese restaurant for about ten years in a building located in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul. Mr. Lee had owned the building before he turned its ownership over to the Chenggye foundation in September 2009.
The building was under the management of Kim Jae-jeong, the late brother-in-law of the president and the fact that Mr. Lee was the owner was not previously known.
Tenant A did a building expansion and remodeling job in consultation with the building manager. A claimed, “Manager Kim demanded that I get out of the building upon the expiration of my lease without paying me for the costs I incurred during the renovation.”
Tenant A and the Chenggye foundation are reported to be seeking mediation before taking legal proceedings. The court is due to hold a hearing on December 2, when they will have their first mediation session.
Comments From Daum:
다람이:
MB’s personal motto is simple: I do fraud wherever it is possible.
코끼리마누라:
Hey you filthy rat MB! We will never forget cases involving real-estate property owned by 2MB under borrowed names, his foundation, and the infamous BBK scandal.
마르스:
He broke his promise made while he was in office that he would donate all his fortune to charity. He made a 30 billion won donation to the Chenggye Foundation, a foundation that he owned. I want to figure out how much his fortunesincreased during his presidency.
왕부엉이:
Unbelievable that he has been sued by the Chinese restaurant owner! A big shame for the former president. ke ke ke
campoo:
So now he’s getting greedy for those lo mein profits.
대명용이:
I guess he may be mentioned in a future textbook. It is very hard to be more reviled by people than he is now.
왕서방:
I bet there has been no more arrogant guy than him since the beginning of our nation’s history.
Comments From Naver:
soos****:
He sent a couple of trillion won for his four-river refurbishment project down the drain, touted resource diplomacy, made the democracy in the nation a mess by using powerful agencies for presidential election fraud. I guess he must have lined his pockets with several trillion won. He is the worst leader in the history of Republic of Korea.
kidc****:
He’s always tied to money problems. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ. There is no past or future president that is more involved with money problems than Mr. Lee. What a mess!
yuha****:
He may be the first to face a civil lawsuit among past presidents. ㅋㅋㅋ
leeh****:
Isn’t he an 18-time criminal? Let’s bring him to justice after power changes hands in the next election.
jinh****:
What shall we do with this guy? Just thinking of breathing the same air with him together under one sky makes me feel nauseated. It is regrettable that he is still alive.
ddd0****:
My prophecy: Initially, He starts to face a civil lawsuit, but he will face a criminal lawsuit before it is all over.
