GNP Plans to File Complaints against Parties to Money Transfer to N.K.

The opposition Grand National Party (GNP) on Feb 18 has decided to file complaints against those responsible for the secret payment to the North, including Park Ji-won, presidential chief of staff, who testified falsely when the National Assembly inspected the administration.

The opposition party plans to decide on who will be included in the complaints for perjury this week after it analyzes shorthand records about the National Assembly’ inspection.

The presidential chief of staff denied the fact that he met Song Ho-kyung, vice chairman of North Korea’s Asia Pacific Peace Committee, in Singapore before the National Assembly in March 2000. However, he admitted the meeting in Singapore at President Kim Dae-jung’s press conference to make an apology for the secret transfer to Pyongyang on Feb. 14. At a GNP senior members’ meeting, Lee Hae-gu, chairman of the GNP’s special committee for investigation of the transfer to the North, said, "Given Im Dong-won, presidential special aide, said that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) had helped Hyundai Merchant Marine exchange money for the transfer, we plan to visit the NIS sooner or later to investigate how deeply the intelligence agency was involved."

Yeon-Wook Jung jyw11@donga.com