Questions continue to be raised about prime minister Lee Hae Chan's golf escapade on the March First holiday. Some of the questions are clearly based in fact, some are suggestive, and some have nothing to do with Lee, which is why the issue of whether he will stay on as prime minister is so complicated. The serious of the matter, however, is to be found in the fact it is not going to be resolved with nothing more than Lee's expression of "regret."
To begin with, Lee needs to openly admit that he violated ethical guidelines for civil servants and be clear about accepting responsibility. Ignoring the other suspicions for a moment, he violated the guidelines for letting the head of the golf course pay the W38,0000 fee for course use. People who participated at the time say they made bets, and regardless of the amount, that is inexcusable behavior.
The Office for Government Policy Coordination, which exists to aid the prime minister, has a special section responsible for secretly observing whether civil servants are committing irregularities. So one of the prime minister's roles is to watch for corrupt activities. President Roh Moo Hyun said that once inaugurated, he would order government officials to not play golf. There are even cases where officials were fired after being entertained with rounds of the game. The prime minister, therefore, is in a position of great responsibility. He needs to observe the guidelines strictly because he is in charge of keeping public servants in line. You wonder how well he would be able to perform his duties if his ethical violations are deliberately overlooked this time.
The more complicated the problem, the more you will find the answer in common sense and principles. The injury to Lee's ethical standing will come to an end only when he fully admits to what happened and demonstrates that he clearly accepts responsibility. The sooner he makes the right decision the better.
The Hankyoreh, 11 March 2006.
[Translations by Seoul Selection]
[Editorial] Lee Hae Chan Must Accept Responsibility |
