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Lee Hae-chan and Rhyu Si-min

Posted September. 20, 2016 07:20,   

Updated September. 20, 2016 07:31

한국어

Near Seoul National University lies a bookstore named Gwangjang Books. Lawmaker Lee Hae-chan first opened the store in 1978. In the beginning it sold books on social science, but has been specialized in state examination prep books from the mid-1980s. The bookstore is still flourishing until today while other competitors have come and gone, selling pricey text books without any discounts. Former Health and Welfare Minister Rhyu Si-min worked as an employee at the store and later became one of Lee Hae-chan’s closest aides.

Rhyu was sued after appearing at a TV program, where he said, “I believe Woo Byung-woo, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, must know everything about what the president was up to on the day Sewol ferry accident took place. Woo caught the president’s weak point and that’s why she could not fire him.” Such a comment was not worth a third party taking to the court, but was also wrong in that Mr. Woo was not the senior secretary let alone a secretary to the president at the time: he was a lawyer. He could have gotten to know of what had happened the day, later when he became the senior secretary, but this has never been proven. Rhyu may have wanted to show off his ability of political imagination, but it was careless of him to make such comments.

The Minjoo Party decided to restore Lee Hae-chan’s membership Monday. He has been elected to represent his current district of Sejong City as an independent candidate, after he had lost the party nomination as a victim to then interim Chairman Kim Chong-in’s policy to dismiss pro-Roh members in the April elections. Lee has recovered the membership as soon as Rep. Chu Mi-ae replaced Kim as the chairman. Lee recently filed a complaint for compost smells around his house, which prompted the deputy mayor of the city handle the matter.

Lee and Rhyu are special compared to Ahn Hee-jung or Lee Gwang-jae in the same pro-Roh cohort. They are older and wiser, but less embracing. Lee had shown his authoritative character many times during his term as education minister and prime minister. Rhyu is still known for his way of saying “polite things in a rude way,” though he seems to have improved much. Rhyu has turned 57 this year, and Lee is seven years older than him. Both should be old enough to stop picking on small things.



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