PM denies illegality in Lee's retirement home plan

SEOUL, Oct. 11 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik said Tuesday that the family of President Lee Myung-bak didn't violate any current laws in their recent purchase of his retirement house just outside Seoul's posh Gangnam area.
President Lee and first lady Kim Yoon-ok are planning to reside in a tranquil village on Seoul's southern outskirts after his term ends in 2013, instead of his private home in Nonhyeon-dong, a bustling neighborhood in the center of the capital's southern district.



The president recently bought a lot in Naegok-dong, a rustic area located between Seoul's southern tip and Bundang, a satellite bed town, under his only son's name and will build his retirement home there.
But opposition parties have raised suspicion that the president violated the law on real name real estate transactions by purchasing the Naegok-dong land under the name of his son, Lee Si-hyung. In the face of the political offensive, Lee said through his spokesman earlier Tuesday that he will take administrative procedures to buy the land from his son on paper.
"There is nothing illegal in the purchase of the Naegok-dong land by President Lee's family, because Lee already has a plan to eventually own the lot under his name after construction," said the prime minister at the parliamentary interpellation session.
Lee's single five-year term ends in February 2013. He is barred by law from seeking re-election.
According to presidential aides, Lee had once considered retiring to his private home in Nonhyeon-dong but changed his plans due to the difficulty of building facilities for security guards in the prohibitively expensive area.
They also said the Naegok-dong land was bought by Lee Si-hyung for security reasons.
Meanwhile, the interpellation session was dominated by ruling party lawmakers' questions regarding various suspicions surrounding independent Seoul mayoral candidate Park Won-soon, who has come under fire for evasion of military service, doctoring his educational background and pro-North Korean activities, ahead of the Oct. 26 by-election.