President Kim`s Apology Is One Thing and Independent Counsel Is Another

Park Hee-tae, the opposition Grand National Party`s acting chairman, said Feb.7 with respect to the secret money transfer to North Korea, “The clandestine cash payment to the North involving the outgoing government constitutes an apparent crime, so it can not be dealt by the National Assembly, but by special counsels. President Kim’s personal explanation and public apology is one thing and bringing to light the whole truths about the issue through an investigation by an independent counsel is another.”

“It is a critical issue, therefore, the President should first clarify the issue, offer an apology to the public and then give a testimony before the National Assembly,” he made it clear the same day at a meeting of senior members of the GNP.

“There should be a clear line drawn between the political and moral issue which the president should care about and a criminal act violating over 10 provisions of the law governing the inter-Korean relations. Even if the President comes clean about the suspicion, the appointment of a special counsel is unavoidable,” said the acting chairman in a radio interview and his remarks can be interpreted as the GNP’s rejection to the ruling party’s proposal to end the dispute through closed-door testimonies before the National Assembly as part of political settlements.

The GNP’s Secretary General Kim Young-il also said, “The president-elect Roh Moo-hyun had promised to open a through investigation into the scandal. However, he is now taking a position in line with prior consultations with Chung Wa Dae, the Hyundai Group, and the North. His sudden shift in mind may invite further public suspicions. Therefore, he should accept the GNP’s demand for the appointment of special counsel without any political considerations.”

Meanwhile, the ruling MDP and the opposition GNP held a floor leaders’ meeting at the National Assembly to discuss the issue concerning the appointment of an independent counsel. However, they failed to find a common ground to end the political dispute surrounding the secret payoff scandal as the two rival parties locked horn over their own party lines with the GNP calling for the appointment of the special counsel and the MDP proposing holding off the record testimonies before the National Assembly.

Kim Hak-won, floor leader of the United Liberal Democrats who attended at the meeting for the first time, echoed the GNP`s demand for the appointment of the special counsel.

The MDP`s floor leader Chung Kyun-whan said, “In the event of tracing bank accounts of the Hyundai Group, it may lead to the collapse of that company. Taking the peculiarity of the inter-Korean business dealings and the fact it is not a corruption scandal into consideration, the National Assembly should summon relevant figures involved in the secret money transfer and let them offer in-depth testimonies before a parliamentary committee.”

However, the GNP’s floor leader Rhee Q-tak refuted the MDP`s floor leader’s remark by saying, “The payoff scandal gives credence to the notion that the inter-Korean relations are not normal one and are built upon the behind-door money dealings. The possibility of the Hyundai’s collapse, which might be a result of the investigation, is tantamount to a threat to the opposition GNP.”

The GNP decided to unilaterally act on the bill calling for the appointment of the special counsel at the plenary session in the National Assembly slated for Feb.7 and 25 if the ruling party continues opposing to the adoption of the special counsel system.

Yeon-Wook Jung jyw11@donga.com