South Korea's new ambassador to Canberra Lee Jong-sup has presented a copy of his credentials to Australia, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday, amid controversy over his alleged influence-peddling case related to the death of a young marine .
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has defended former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, who left hastily for Australia to take up his post as Seoul’s new ambassador to Canberra despite being a suspect in an investigation into the death of a Marine, adding that Lee’s appointment and departure won’t cause any disruptions to the judicial proceedings by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO).
The ruling People Power Party (PPP) sees its narrow lead over the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) diminishing in recent surveys. This is stoking fears among conservatives that Han Dong-hoon, the party leader whose personal popularity helped the moribund ruling party rebound from a major defeat in a district leadership by-election, is now running out of charm just weeks before the April 10 general elections.