[Editorial] Power elites must watch their kin for any wrongdoing

The recent case of fraud involving a supplier firm of the Pohang Iron and Steel (POSCO), reminds us how important it is for power elites to keep an watchful eye on their relatives for their possible wrongdoing. The prosecutors' investigation into the case led to the arrest of a secretary for President Kim Dae-Jung's brother and a husband of a cabinet minister's niece. President Kim's nephew is also known to be involved, and the prosecutors concluded that this was a typical case of failed lobbying for fraud by an attempted abuse of powerful influence.

According to the prosecutors' disclosure of their investigations Thursday, a Mr. Moon, secretary to President Kim's brother, swindled huge sums of money from the POSCO supplier firm on the false assurance that he would resolve the firm's problems to supply goods for POSCO, although Moon knew the matter was beyond his ability.

But, the prosecutors' accounts of the case have many incomprehensible aspects that defy our sound common sense. First, we are somewhat suspicious about the prosecutors' summary reference to Moon as a man with no ability to resolve the issue. Surely, the POSCO supplier must have given him such large sums of money precisely because he must have had grounds to believe that he had the ability to settle the matter, and that powers behind him would back Moon's ability.

For this reason, the prosecutors must have rigorously investigated the possibility of the involvement of the President's brother in the case. But, it looks as though they somehow bypassed the process of such thorough probes. Moreover, the investigations uncovered that Moon and others, including the President's nephew, personally met the POSCO chairman on behalf of the supplier company to ask for the continued supply of goods.

The prosecutors' explanation here was that they excluded the President's nephew from investigation because he only accompanied Moon without any knowledge of the purpose of Moon's meeting with the POSCO chairman. This is hardly a convincing account that no one can possibly trust. The prosecutors must have summoned him to probe into any possibilities of kickbacks and to determine his role in the case.

The fact that the President's nephew was beside Moon on the occasion of meeting the POSCO chairman is itself identical with the exercise of influence and pressure, even if he was not directly involved in the case. Yet, the prosecutors investigated nothing about the nephew. This is more than enough to raise suspicions of whether the prosecutors tried to whitewash the case and its background.

Granted, it is possible to imagine that Moon may merely have exploited in a cunning way his special relationship with the President's brother and nephew, who may have no involvement in the case. But, the prosecutors' flaw here is that they came to such a conclusion without investigating them.

It should be recalled here that President Kim is known to have had his family meeting prior to his inauguration to forewarn his family members of any indiscreet conducts At his dialogue with the citizens, he assured the nation that he would keep an eye on his family members for any improper conduct. Apparently, this was a statement of the President's determination not to repeat his predecessor's failure during Kim Young-Sam's ¡®civilian government.'

But, some point out that President Kim has tended to show laxity and ease in his supervision of the power elites surrounding him since the beginning of the latter part of his term of office. Against this backdrop, the Hanvit Bank loan scandal must be understood. The ruling power elites must make this an opportunity to have a fresh look at their kin for their possible indiscreet behavior. No political powers can survive or remain viable should they lack moral strength.