Former MB at First Calligraphy Exhibition in Life... "Hope for Politics Worth $30,000 National Income"

Major Attendance of Former Chin-i Faction
Introduction of Letter Content from Gwangju High School Students in Calligraphy Exhibition

Former President Lee Myung-bak held a calligraphy exhibition on the 13th and said, "I hope politics will match the $30,000 national income."

Former President Lee Myung-bak is delivering a greeting at the 'Former President Lee Myung-bak Calligraphy Exhibition Opening Ceremony' held on the 13th at the KEPCO Art Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

At the opening ceremony of his first-ever calligraphy exhibition "Smeodeulda" held at the KEPCO Art Center in Yangjae-dong, Seoul, Lee said, "There is no place on this earth I haven't been to, from the Middle Eastern deserts to the Siberian plains. I have witnessed all kinds of hardships," adding, "However, I have clearly seen that when the national income reaches $30,000, labor-management relations and politics also change."

He continued, "There is exactly one exception: the Republic of Korea," and said, "In this great country, I hope all our people unite with concern for the nation to properly improve labor-management issues and political culture that do not match the national income." He added, "All businesspeople are worthy of respect," and said, "When the country is in difficulty, what else is patriotism? For culture and sports to flourish, businesses must do well. Ultimately, the economy and businesses must prosper."

Reflecting on the "mad cow disease incident" during his presidency, Lee introduced a letter he received from a high school student while serving time in prison. He said, "One month after I took office, the mad cow disease incident broke out. Many people who love the nation came out to Gwanghwamun because they believed eating American beef would cause mad cow disease," adding, "Since I am neither a career politician nor a businessman, I thought if they protested fiercely at Gwanghwamun, I would step down on the spot."

Lee mentioned, "A high school student in Gwangju sent a letter last December saying, 'When I was in elementary school, I thought President Lee Myung-bak was importing American beef to kill us all, and my teacher took us to Gwanghwamun every Saturday, so I resented the president until high school,'" and added, "The student wrote, 'Now that I have realized everything, I am writing this letter of apology. I will never waver in my life and respect you. My parents don’t know I am doing this, and my teacher at school was surprised to see me eating American beef well.'"

Lee said, "I was both surprised and grateful. After receiving that letter, I thought, 'There is hope for Korea.' There is a young person who has realized the truth," and revealed, "I replied, 'If you live with that spirit, you will face many hardships. Nevertheless, if you remain unbroken and keep the right thoughts, you will achieve great things someday.'"

Former President Lee Myung-bak and Mrs. Kim Yoon-ok are attending the "Former President Lee Myung-bak Calligraphy Exhibition Opening Ceremony" held on the 13th at the KEPCO Art Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Lee said, "After leaving office, I went to a remote place (prison), and holding a brush, I prayed and calmed my heart through calligraphy, letting go of anger and hatred, and developed a warm heart."

The opening ceremony was attended by his wife Kim Yoon-ok, Lee Jae-oh, chairman of the Democracy Movement Commemoration Project, Maeng Hyung-kyu, chairman of the Lee Myung-bak Foundation, former Prime Minister Chung Un-chan, and other former pro-Lee Myung-bak faction figures.

Also present were Kim Dae-gi, chief of staff of the presidential office, and lawmakers from the People Power Party including Kwon Seong-dong, Kim Hak-yong, Cho Hae-jin, Yoon Han-hong, Lee Dal-gon, Park Jeong-ha, and Kim Byung-wook, as well as former lawmaker Lee Eun-jae, Son Kyung-sik, chairman of the Korea Employers Federation, and Seo Jung-jin, chairman of Celltrion Group.

The calligraphy exhibition, which runs until the 21st, displays 97 works created by Lee over the 10 years since his retirement.

On the 13th, former President Lee Myung-bak's calligraphy exhibition "Smeodeulda" is being held at the KEPCO Art Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@