"Even I recommended that he play, " says Daewoo Motors Chairman Kim Tae Gou (no relation).

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | South Korea: Overworked

The report of Rain's apparent romance with popular South Korean actress Kim Tae-hee, 32, broke in local media on Tuesday.

BBC: South Korean singer Rain in military service row

His first major misstep was in January, when he learned that the wife of his ex-chief prosecutor, Kim Tae Jung, had accepted a fur coat and other clothes from an expensive boutique.

CNN: Of 'Fur-gate' and Other Fights

Kim Jung-tae, who heads the biggest, Kookmin, plans to have two dozen private-banking branches by the end of this year.

ECONOMIST: Private banking in Asia

He was convicted in 1996 of bribing former South Korean president Roh Tae-woo but pardoned a year later by then-president Kim Young-sam.

WSJ: South Korea Plans to Pardon Former Samsung Chairman

During Mr Kim Young Sam's presidency, two former presidents, Chun Doo Hwan and Roh Tae Woo, were jailed for treason, insurrection and taking bribes.

ECONOMIST: South Korea