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Grand National Party presidential hopeful Lee Myung-bak met with reporters on Saturday and confessed that he registered fake residences five times around 1980 so all of his four children would be eligible for entry into prestigious elementary and junior high schools. About an hour later, his election camp said Lee had been living in the Apgujeong area in southern Seoul in 1977, 1979 and 1981. During those years, he registered his name at three fake residences to let his three daughters attend the same private elementary school. In 1984, his camp said, Lee lived in Nonhyun-dong, but registered his address under a house in Yonhui-dong owned by a Hyundai Engineering and Construction employee to allow his son to enroll in another private elementary school. In 1990, Lee¡¯s wife and son registered their residence under the address of Lee¡¯s older brother so that his son could enter a junior high school in Apgujeong-dong.
Lee is running for the presidency. It is not very dignified of such a person to say things like, ¡°I think that¡¯s what happened¡± in explaining how he had registered false residences, sounding as if he wasn¡¯t fully aware of what had happened. Even today, it is often mothers who handle matters involving their children¡¯s education, not to mention 30 years ago. But Lee should not be addressing the suspicions in such an offhand manner.
Registering a false residence is a crime punishable by up to three years in prison or a W10 million (US$1=W938) fine. Even though the statute of limitations has expired, since the offenses occurred 30 years ago, the acts are by no means something to be proud of. In 1999, Lee was slapped with a W4 million fine for violating the Election Law. His respect for the law can be legitimately questioned.
Still, from the practical standpoint of ordinary citizens both 30 years ago and today, we have to question whether his offense is serious enough for him to withdraw from the race, as the progressive camp claims. It is taking it a bit too far to accuse private elementary schools of catering to the ¡°nobility.¡± The children of many lawmakers in the progressive camp are enrolled in private schools in the United States, whose tuition makes Korean private schools look downright cheap. We also have to consider that many of Lee¡¯s rival Park Geun-hye¡¯s relatives and top staff members sent their children to the schools what they now call ¡°nobility schools.¡±
Candidate Park and the progressive camp have raised objections to Lee¡¯s excuse, saying private schools select students via lottery, regardless of their residential areas. They are saying real estate speculation was the real reason for Lee¡¯s many false addresses. We will have to think carefully whether that is true: after all, he did move around areas north of the Han River that were not exactly a hot real estate market.
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