A South Korean lawmaker from the ruling
Saenuri Party has criticized former President Lee Myung Bak, saying he should
retract the publication of his recent memoir that has stirred up a great deal of controversy.
“MB [former President Lee Myung Bak] has
made a significant mistake by revealing all the nitty-gritty details
regarding the discussions for an inter-Korean summit in his memoir, including
demands from Pyongyang. This classified information should be spread no
further,” Representative Ha Tae Kyung posted on his
Facebook page on Friday.
He added, “The
information that MB has exposed still carries significant implications
affecting current inter-Korean relations. Ha went on to note that
this is likely to negatively impact the country’s
credibility around the world, as “classified
information crucial to foreign relations is not allowed to be made public for
decades,” a measure he noted to be aimed at preventing possible unfavorable impacts on current diplomatic
relations.
Not only that, Representative Ha asserted that the former
president could be in violation of the Criminal Act Article 113, which involves
disclosure of diplomatic secrets. Ha pointed out that if Lee revealed
such information from inter-Korean relations to offer guidance for the current
administration it could have easily been achieved without also exposing it to the public.
“If this was a way for him to try to
reestablish his public image, there’s nothing to say
but that MB is a president unable to differentiate private and public
interests,” Ha stated. “If you’re a president, even after leaving office, you put the country ahead
of yourself.”
The former South Korean leader wrote in his
memoir, The Times of the President, slated for release today, details of a high-level official from North
Korea’s State Security Department visiting the South
shortly after Pyongyang shelled Yeonpyeong Island in 2010. He also made public
information about discussions on holding summit talks with the North. Chapters
of the book were released to members of media organizations last week.
He also revealed that the North demanded 500,000 tons of rice in exchange for
an apology issued by Pyongyang regarding the sinking of a South Korean naval
corvette. The North also asked for 10 billion USD in cash through a delegation
that visited the South in August 2009 to pay respects to late President Kim Dae
Jung, whom the North Korean leader held summit talks with in 2000, according to
Lee’s memoir.
