South Korea's president-elect Lee Myung-Bak, a former business CEO, has described Jesus Christ as "the best model of a CEO-type leader", an aide said Friday. Lee, 66, made the statement during a prayer meeting late Thursday at Seoul's Somang Church where he serves as a Presbyterian elder, said aide Kim Heon-Jin.
A former chief executive of the Hyundai group's construction arm, Lee has pledged to become a business-friendly president and revitalise the economy. "I've said I will become a CEO-type leader but actually, the best model of a CEO-type leader was Jesus Christ," he was quoted as saying.
"Two millennia ago, Jesus showed a leadership of service by washing the feet of his disciples. Likewise, I will do my own best, serving the people." Lee wanted to stress his desire to become a president devoted to working for the people, the aide told AFP.
The president-elect faces a criminal inquiry into his alleged links to a 2001 share manipulation fraud. He strongly denies wrongdoing and was cleared by an earlier investigation. About 13.7 million South Koreans are Christians, according to the National Statistical Office.