During the Briefing, President Lee to Hakjae Lee:
"Why Do You Keep Avoiding the Question?"
On December 12, President Lee Jae-myung publicly reprimanded Hakjae Lee, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation, during a briefing by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and other ministries held at the Sejong Convention Center.
President Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport briefing held at the Sejong Government Sejong Convention Center on the 12th. Photo by Yonhap News
On this day, President Lee asked President Lee, "It is prohibited to take more than 10,000 dollars overseas, but is it really possible that someone could slip out tens of thousands of dollars in 100-dollar bills, like bookmarks, without being caught?" In response, President Lee replied, "Our main focus is on screening for hazardous materials. While this is not directly within our area of responsibility, we did detect such a case recently and handed it over to customs."
President Lee then pressed further, saying, "Don't go off topic; answer the question I asked," and reiterated, "Do you properly screen for illegal foreign currency outflows?" When President Lee tried to explain, "We work together with customs. What we mainly do is..." President Lee interrupted, clarifying, "The question is whether it is possible for someone to take out a bundle of 100-dollar bills as bookmarks."
When President Lee again answered, "We detected such a case this time and handed it over to customs," President Lee, with a stern expression, criticized, "You are being evasive," and added, "I'm asking if it's possible or not, so why do you keep avoiding the question?" Prime Minister Kim Minseok, who was present, also interjected, "You just need to say whether it is possible to check cash exceeding 10,000 dollars." In the end, President Lee replied, "That is a practical matter, so I am not exactly sure."
After instructing President Lee to coordinate with customs on how to address the issue, President Lee rebuked him for not responding immediately, asking, "Are you off somewhere else right now?" He then inquired about the timing and duration of President Lee's appointment. When President Lee replied, "I started in June 2023, and the term is three years," President Lee remarked, "So, until next year? It's been three years, but it doesn't seem like you have a clear grasp of your responsibilities."
Hakjae Lee, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation. Photo by Airport Photojournalists Group
The criticism continued during questions regarding Incheon International Airport Corporation's ongoing Hurghada Airport development project in Egypt. When President Lee asked about the progress of the project, President Lee responded, "There has been no practical progress on the capital airport." President Lee immediately corrected him, saying, "I wasn't asking about Cairo Airport."
When it became clear that President Lee could not properly explain the project's status and that there were no relevant staff present, President Lee remarked, "It seems you know even less than I do. Other than what is written in the documents, you don't seem to know anything," and then moved on to the next agenda item.
President Lee, a three-term lawmaker from the People Power Party appointed during the previous administration, previously served as the mayor of Seo-gu, Incheon for the third and fourth terms, and was appointed as President of Incheon International Airport Corporation in June 2023 during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration for a three-year term.
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