WHO IS PRESIDENT-ELECT LEE MYUNG-BAK?

C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 003575 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2014 TAGS: KN KS PGOV PREL PINR SUBJECT: WHO IS PRESIDENT-ELECT LEE MYUNG-BAK? REF: A. SEOUL 02539 ¶B. SEOUL 02800 ¶C. SEOUL 02960 ¶D. SEOUL 02652 Classified By: Amb. Alexander Vershbow. Reasons 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: President-elect Lee Myung-bak is a self-made businessman and politician and his successful experience as CEO of Hyundai Construction and Seoul Mayor lead many to believe he will accomplish great things as the seventh President of Korea. The most thoroughly investigated presidential candidate ever, Lee has lived a life interpreting the law of the land rather loosely, as was customary for the rich and powerful in the free-wheeling 1970s and 1980s in Korea. However, Lee claims his shady business deals are all in the past. To prove the point he announced December 14 he would donate all his assets other than his family residence to the poor of Korea. Lee Myung-bak's rags-to-riches life story already has been made into two television series; looking at his life gives some insight into what kind of president he might become when sworn in on February 25. END SUMMARY -------------- BACKGROUND -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Grand National Party (GNP) Candidate Lee Myung-bak was born in Japan in 1941, and with his family moved back to Korea after national liberation. Lee's family was extremely poor, even by the post-war standard, and Lee often cites poverty as a factor in making him what he is today. The fifth of seven children, Lee had to work from his youngest years and through college in order to pay for his studies. Lee's involvement in pro-democracy protests as Korea University student-body president led to a six-month stint in prison. Lee was exempted from military service due to lung disease. After joining the Hyundai Construction Company in 1965, he became President at 35, Chairman at 46, and served as CEO from 1976 to 1992. At Hyundai, Lee was know as a tough business executive, and he often boasted that the late Hyundai founder, Chung Joo-yung, was completely dependent on him. ¶3. (C) Lee first entered politics in 1992 on a proportional representation ticket for the then-ruling New Korea Party (the predecessor of the GNP). After an unexceptional term in the Assembly, he ran for the prestigious Jongro District seat in central Seoul. In that race he beat out President Roh Moo-hyun. He lost that seat in 1998 due to campaign finance violations and, after stepping down, spent a year at George Washington University as a visiting scholar. He returned to Seoul and was elected mayor in 2002. According to close aides, Lee had the Blue House in his sights since the late 1990s and ran for Mayor to gain further national recognition and experience. ¶4. (SBU) As Seoul Mayor from 2002 to 2006, Lee initiated and oversaw a number of ambitious projects, key among which was the environmental recovery of Cheonggye Stream in downtown Seoul, which had been severely polluted and covered by an elevated highway since the 1960s; the construction of a grassy plaza in front of Seoul City Hall; the streamlining of the bus system; and opening of the Seoul Forest. These projects -- especially Cheonggye Stream, reopened in 2005 -- continue to be popular with Seoul's citizens and helped Lee establish a reputation as an environmentally conscious leader dedicated to improving the quality of life for Seoul citizens. As Hyundai Construction CEO and as Mayor, he earned the nickname "Bulldozer Lee" for his accomplishments and fondness for grand construction projects. -------------- FOREIGN POLICY -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The "MB Doctrine" -- Lee's foreign policy package -- is somewhat vague, but clearly reflects conservative views. Lee argues that his foreign policy will be based on national interests, not ideologies. This is an indirect criticism of the Roh administration, which conservatives have labeled as soft on North Korea and not sufficiently supportive of the U.S.-ROK alliance. The MB Doctrine includes the following elements: -- U.S.-ROK ALLIANCE. Lee foreign policy adviser and former Foreign Minister (1996-98) Yoo Chong-ha has repeatedly told us that the U.S. has nothing to worry about from President-elect Lee. Lee supports extending the South Korean troop deployment to Iraq and ratification of the KORUS FTA. Although he has said OPCON transfer should be renegotiated, he may only seek to review the timeline of the transfer rather than the specifics of the agreement. -- NORTH KOREA. Lee promises to pursue a strategic policy that promotes the complete nuclear dismantlement and a genuine opening of North Korea. He has argued that economic assistance should be more strictly conditioned on progress toward denuclearization, in contrast with the Roh Administration's approach. If North Korea dismantles its nuclear weapons and opens its society, Lee has said that South Korea will help the North attain a per capita income of USD 3,000 within ten years, after which the two countries can discuss human rights and unification. -- NORTHEAST ASIA. Yoo Chong-ha has told us that Lee will approach China and Japan flexibly and pragmatically and that the U.S.-ROK-Japan trilateral alliance should improve. -------------- ECONOMIC PLAN: THE CANAL STAYS -------------- ¶6. (C) Lee's domestic policy centers on his "747 Policy," which promises to produce a 7 percent annual growth rate, to double Korea's per capita GDP to USD 40,000, and to enable Korea to become the 7th largest economy within ten years. Faster growth, Lee has said, is the key to redressing the widening economic gap between rich and poor in South Korea. ¶7. (C) Despite continued criticism of his proposed project for a North-South canal linking the Han and Nakdong rivers, Lee has said that he is determined to push it forward. "People do not fully understand this project, but if it is a good idea, I must not give up." Lee said he remained confident that the people would come around to the idea, much the way the people overcame their initial reservations about a highway system connecting the country or Lee's now popular Cheonggye stream project in central Seoul. According to Embassy contacts, Lee Myung-bak's canal idea was not the key to revitalizing Korea's economy, and this and other campaign promises would likely turn out to be just that. However, as long as Lee showed he cared for the Korean people and respected them, he could overcome scandals and survive politically even if he failed to build a canal or effect real change in the Korean economy. -------------- PERSONAL AND MANAGEMENT STYLE -------------- ¶8. (C) Stemming from his days heading up Hyundai Construction, Lee puts efficiency above all and is very detail- and results-oriented. Several close Lee aides told us that Lee Myung-bak makes his own instant coffee and does not pull rank with people. Lee has confidence in his ability to accomplish any task. However, according to several sources, the president-elect is shy -- he is not outgoing enough to draw many people into his fold. Some cite this in explaining why Lee has not done a good job reaching out to former party chairman and primary rival Park Geun-hye, or to GNP defector Lee Hoi-chang. As a result of his clumsiness with personal relationships, it is said he trusts only a small inner circle of friends and confidants. ¶9. (C) Lee's elder brother, National Assembly Vice Speaker Lee Sang-deuk, and former Gallup Chairman Choi Shee-joong are credited with being Lee Myung-bak's political brain. Many contacts have told us that President-elect Lee, with a strong mind of his own, can be influenced only by these two. Lee Sang-deuk told us in a recent meeting that Lee Myung-bak was often late for meetings and events. The elder Lee said he told his brother that it may have worked for him to be late as a businessman, but in politics, you had to arrive to all events on time. Vice Speaker Lee said, laughingly, that then-candidate Lee had started to catch on, but he still had to remind him frequently to be on time. -------------- PERSONAL NOTES -------------- ¶10. (C) Lee is married to Kim Yun-ok and has one son and three daughters. His birthday and his wedding anniversary are December 19, the day of Korea's presidential election. According to an old friend, Lee chose to get married on his birthday so he would not forget his anniversary. ¶11. (C) Lee Myung-bak advisors have publicly touted the fact that Lee runs one hour every day on a treadmill, but close advisors told POLOFF that he only ran when he had time. On the flip side, while there has been no public mention of it, according to those close to Lee, Lee enjoys golf and plays when he can. Probably to counter the perception that he is weak on foreign policy, Lee's advisors highlight Lee's years working overseas and some even note that Lee can conduct business in English. However, experience has shown that his English is rudimentary and he will need an interpreter for all working meetings. That said, his English is sufficient to conduct some "hallway diplomacy" and engage in chit-chat with other leaders at summits and international gatherings -- a significant advance over Roh Moo-Hyun. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶12. (C) Lee Myung-bak is very much the product of the post-Korean War rapid South Korean economic growth. Personifying the "can-do" attitude of Korean businessmen of the 1960s and 1970s, Lee has spent his life changing Korea as a construction magnate, and he was elected December 19 because Koreans believe he can change Korea for the better. Lee's promise is about whether he can rekindle such passion and desire among South Koreans who are now rich and comfortable beyond their wildest imagination. Lee has proven he has the personality to succeed in business and on the campaign trail. Now, he must see if he can guide a successful path through the inevitable clash between "the Lee Myung-bak way" and the realities of political gridlock, a free press, and the scrutiny of modern Korea's strong array of NGOs. But first he must weather the storm of a special investigation into the BBK scandal even before he takes office, which could determine whether he can achieve the parliamentary majority he needs to achieve many of his ambitious plans in April's general elections. END COMMENT VERSHBOW