South Korean President Lee Myung-bak’s office yesterday denied any involvement in a fraud case related to the nomination of candidates for parliamentary elections after his wife’s cousin was arrested.
The first lady’s 74-year-old cousin Kim Ok-hee is accused of receiving 3 billion won (US$3 million) to help a businessman become a ruling party candidate for elections last April.
“Prosecutors are investigating it, and there has been no record that Kim has visited the presidential office,” presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan told a press briefing yesterday.
“The prosecution will investigate it in such a transparent and speedy way that even not a single piece of suspicion should be left behind,” Lee Dong-kwan said.
The prosecutors’ suspect, Kim, may have tried to bribe ruling party officials to help the businessman, although his attempt to secure a candidacy failed and most of the money was returned.
Seoul’s Yonhap news agency said yesterday prosecutors were checking bank accounts held by the cousin.
“The probe focuses on tracing financial transactions through the bank accounts to check if the money flowed elsewhere,” an unnamed prosecution source told Yonhap.
Prosecutors, who have also arrested a 61-year-old man who allegedly acted as a broker between the cousin and the businessman, were not immediately available for comment.
Lee Myung-bak took office in February but his popularity has been seriously hit by a widely criticized decision to resume US beef imports, and by other controversial policies.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
Two people died and 19 others were injured after a Mexican Navy training ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said yesterday. The ship snapped all three of its masts as it collided with the New York City landmark late on Saturday, while onlookers enjoying the balmy spring evening watched in horror. “At this time, of the 277 on board, 19 sustained injuries, 2 of which remain in critical condition, and 2 more have sadly passed away from their injuries,” Adams posted on X. Footage shared online showed the Mexican Navy ship Cuauhtemoc, its sails furled
RSS