Ex-pres. meets with HC Lee on joint struggle against ruling camp

Former president Kim Young-Sam and opposition leader Lee Hoi-Chang discussed a wide range of pending political issues such as the alleged misappropriation of the former intelligence agency¡¯s budget over a luncheon at Kim¡¯s house in Sangdo-dong, southern Seoul.

Kim and Lee, president of the Grand National Party (GNP), had an exclusive tete-a-tete during the lunch and subsequently declared that ``no funds from the Agency for National Security Planning (NSP) flowed into the (former ruling) New Korea Party (now the GNP).¡¯¡¯

The two also discussed ways of launching a struggle against the ruling camp in the days to come, GNP spokesman Rep. Kwon Chul-Hyeon said.

The two were of the opinion that the political sphere is now in a state of a great confusion and crisis, the spokesman added.

In particular, the former president was quoted as saying by Kwon, ``the incumbent regime¡¯s investigation of the NSP funds is nothing more than a scheme to take revenge on the former government.¡¯¡¯

According to the spokesman, GNP leader Lee, referring to the government¡¯s decision to file a lawsuit to recover the alleged NSP money from the GNP, said, ``As the president of the opposition party, I will do everything legally and politically possible to fight it and will safeguard the party at all costs.¡¯¡¯

During their talks, Lee asked for Kim¡¯s help in connection with current inter-party standoff, according to Kim¡¯s close aide Rep. Park Chong-Ung of the GNP.

The former president stressed that ``the opposition party should behave like itself. The people will not think it appropriate for the opposition leader to meet with the president frequently without any particular pending questions,¡¯¡¯

Park also quoted Kim as saying that the GNP should get tough when it comes to pending political issues.