Plea Bargain on BBK for FTA Ratification?

As the United Democratic Party leader proposed during a Thursday luncheon at Cheong Wa Dae that both the ruling and opposition parties drop charges against each other filed during the presidential election campaign period, the BBK issue is once again rising as a political hot potato in the ongoing extra parliamentary session, which began Friday.

Upon the request, President Lee Myung-bak replied on the spot, “Justice should be honored. It doesn’t matter whether allegations were made by ruling or opposition party members. No one is above law.” Faced with difficulties in passing the KORUS FTA and other deregulation bills, however, some Grand National Party members are arguing that all lawsuits be dropped to induce partisan cooperation.

A senior GNP member said on the condition of anonymity, “Should the UDP agree to pass the bills on the FTA and corporate deregulation and to cooperate in organizing parliamentary committees, I don’t see any point in pressing with the charges.”

GNP floor leader Ahn Sang-soo indicated his willingness to accommodate the request in a telephone interview with the Dong-A Ilbo. He said, “It’s absurd to drop the charges to pass the bills. Still, I have instructed our party staff members to review the current status of BBK-related lawsuits and charges. When it comes out, I will discuss it with UDP floor leader Kim Hyo-seok. We may handle the issue on a case-by-case basis.”

The UDP, however, officially brushed away the possibility. The party connects the trade agreement with the opening of the Korean market to U.S. beef. Further, it stressed that the organization of committees determines the four years to come, and has nothing to do with the BBK scandal. Choi Jae-seong, floor spokesman of the party, enforced the position, saying, “It doesn’t make sense at all. The two are totally different matters.”

Nonetheless, some voices within the opposition party advocate the package deal. They say that the lawsuits and charges have troubled the party most, and a new approach might be possible if the suits were dropped. A two-term lawmaker predicted, “As the floor leaders of the two parties are discussing the issue, they would probably explore various options to reach a compromise.”

But the vast majority of the GNP members still oppose the idea of the package deal. They do not show any sign of alleviation toward the charges against some key players in the BBK scandal, such as Jeong Bong-ju and Park Yeong-seon, although they are not as adamant about the one against former UDP presidential candidate Chung Dong-young.

A GNP member close to President Lee said, “Our party leadership knows and remembers vividly how President Lee was hassled over the ungrounded (BBK) allegations during the election campaign. How could they ignore Lee’s mentality to reach a political compromise?”

Another GNP senior member pointed out, “Korean politicians have buried past presidential races under heaps of negative allegations. If we bury it under the carpet again, since we have won it, the rotten practice will emerge again in the next election.”

ditto@donga.com koh@donga.com