Economics and Politics: Playing with Fire

(Baonghean) - Economics and politics have always been closely intertwined – just as security and politics, or security and economics, are closely linked. However, in some cases, this relationship can become a game of fire and the source of many turbulent events.

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US President-elect Donald Trump at his first official press conference on January 11. Photo: Reuters

Donald Trump "warns" the American media.

The first official press conference of US President-elect Donald Trump on January 11th likely left a large portion of the American media unsatisfied. The New York Times even described the press conference as a shocking "show" that was completely unbecoming of the head of state.

A leading American magazine commented: "Trump appeared with the same image he has used on entertainment screens for years. If anyone had hoped that the responsibilities of the presidency would make Donald Trump more restrained, then this first press conference was probably a significant shock."

At this media appearance, Trump was expected to provide answers to many pressing issues such as: US-Russia relations, allegations of internal conflicts of interest, and the unfavorable reports released by CNN and BuzzFeed on the same day before the press conference. However, according to the assessment of the majority of the media, Trump did not really offer satisfactory answers.

The US President-elect declared he would not sell his "money-making machine," but instead hand it over to his two eldest sons to run, asserting, "They will run the corporation very professionally and won't say anything to me about it." He even enlisted his personal lawyer to announce the solutions that would be implemented to eliminate any conflicts of interest. The lawyer affirmed that, before his inauguration on January 20th, Trump would no longer have any involvement with his corporation.

These statements failed to convince many experts and the media. Jamelle Bouie, political columnist for Slate, commented: “There is no doubt that Donald Trump will have a tumultuous presidency filled with business dealings and conflicts of interest. By retaining the Trump Organization, he will be able to receive numerous benefits from foreign governments. This is a way to circumvent a constitutional law prohibiting the President from receiving gifts or money from foreign leaders.”

Bouie even went so far as to say that Trump would be "a representative of unprecedented corruption in the White House." A Politico reporter shared this view: "Donald Trump promised that he and his children would not discuss business and politics, but we can only trust empty words. The truth is, it's almost impossible to verify whether they will keep that promise without independent oversight."

However, historian Timothy Stanley praised Trump's first press appearance, noting that he completely "dominated" the event. Trump even refused to answer a CNN reporter's question because the network had published a statement critical of him just hours before the press conference.

“He was strange, outrageous, and sometimes a little dishonest. But he managed to control them,” historian Stanley observed. “Not like a president? Yes. Not trusted? I’m not so sure. There are a lot of conservative voters who don’t believe the reports incriminating Trump, simply because they no longer trust those sources.”

Samsung's vice chairman at the investigative agency on January 12. Photo: AFP

Samsung Group has been named in connection with a political scandal in South Korea.

This past week, the scandal involving South Korean President Park Geun-hye and her close friend Chol Soon-sil has heated up again with the emergence of a new figure. The latest person dragged into the scandal is Lee Jae-yong, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics. He is also the son of the group's chairman and the grandson of Samsung's founder.

Appearing at the investigative agency on January 12th, Mr. Lee declared, "I deeply regret this." Waiting for Mr. Lee at the entrance of the investigative agency were dozens of reporters and many protesters. The crowd repeatedly chanted "Arrest Mr. Lee immediately" and accused him of being an "accomplice" in the unprecedented scandal in South Korean history.

According to Yonhap, there is a high probability that Lee will be asked by investigators to issue an arrest warrant. The scandal surrounding Choi Soon-sil, known as a close friend of Park Geun-hye, shows no sign of abating as more and more people implicated in the case are revealed.

It is known that Ms. Choi exploited her relationship with Ms. Park to obtain huge sums of money from leading South Korean corporations, including Samsung, Hyundai, SK, LG, and Lotte. Samsung is said to have been the most generous, investing 20 billion won, equivalent to $17 million USD, in Ms. Choi. The corporation is also suspected of spending several million euros to send Ms. Choi's daughter to study in Germany.

The investigating authorities are still working to clarify Samsung's involvement in the scandal. This includes the possibility that Samsung relied on Ms. Choi to obtain government approval for the merger of two of its subsidiaries in 2015.

Hai Trieu

(According to Le Monde)