GNP lawmakers blast prosecution in Assembly interpellation

The National Assembly, with Prime Minister Lee Han-Dong and other cabinet members in attendance, opened its plenary session on Friday and conducted an interpellation of social and cultural affairs.

Rep. You Sung-Keun of the opposition Grand National Party (GNP) accused the prosecution of portraying itself as a political instrument, separate from its proper mission for justice. He also claimed it contained or covered up all power-related scandals since the inauguration of the Kim Dae-Jung government and conducted biased probes into election criminal suspects.

However, Rep. Park Joo-Sun of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) countered that opposition lawmakers were prone to raising unwarranted suspicions during the prosecution's investigations and attempting to tarnish the prosecution with accusations of cover-ups and fabrications in the results of its probes.

Rep. Lee Sang-Bae of the GNP pointed out that the new year's budget outlay for unemployment was significantly reduced, despite the fact that the number of jobless will reach some 1.2 million next year as a result of corporate restructuring.

Rep. Song Kwang-Ho of the GNP warned that renewed industrial upheaval is feared to erupt with the second round of the eviction of nonviable enterprises and second-stage financial restructuring.

Rep. Kim Tae-Hong of the MDP underlined the need for the establishment of a social safety net and measures to address unemployment resulting from the sense of economic crisis and potential massive layoffs.