[Editorial] President Kim Should Say Something

President Kim Dae-Jung addressed that `let us realize the world peace through dialogue and cooperation` in the centennial commemorative symposium for the establishment of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway, Dec. 6th. Now, President Kim should say that `I will swamp out the connections of group-corruption`. It is more urgent to clear away the deeply rooted and widely spread corruptions and to appease the people`s anger and lethargy than to realize the world peace.

President Kim promised his full concentration on the state affairs at the time when he resigned the presidentship of the New Millennium Democratic Party on Nov. 8th. But, already one month has passed, and people cannot understand what is the meaning of his concentration on the state affairs. He does not speak the reform of national administration and human resources anymore. As if his resignation from the presidentship of the ruling party was the whole of the reform, President Kim did not take any follow-up measures after his resignation.

In this situation, newspapers reported allegations that Deputy Minister of Justice Shin Kwang-Ok accepted a bribe of 100 million won. It was said that a young venture swindler bribed Deputy Minister Shin, who was the Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil and Legal Affairs at the time, for a case of huge amount of illegal loan through a political broker, who had some connections in the ruling party. Deputy Minister Shin said, " If I received any money, I will disembowel myself." But, he resigned yesterday.

The point of this case is not to reveal who told a lie. The `Jin Seugn-Hyun Gate` is the alleged affair that the prosecution finished the case without thorough investigation one year ago. There is also a suspicion that the Second Director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) worked as a key figure to conceal the case. With the reemergence of the case, even a `behind conspiracy theory` of the inner power circle, `someone wants to remove someone` is rumored. The rumor on `Jin Seung-Hyun Lists` which might include some influential figures of the ruling circle, became an issue again. This is the worst power-related corruption case that the NIS, prosecution, power group of the ruling party, and Cheong Wa Dae are involved. Moreover, there are another cases, `Lee Yong-Ho Gate` and `Jeong Hyun-Joon Gate`. These are the typical group-related corruption cases that the figures made connections, played booty sharing, and concealed each other as a faction.

The government cannot attain people`s mind when the allegations of the power-related corruption are repeated in the situation that the President cries for reform. However, President Kim keeps silence upon these matters, and people cannot understand the meaning of his promise to concentrate on the state affairs. President Kim should apologize to the people. And, he must order firmly the prosecution to investigate the `Jin Seung-Hynn Gate` thoroughly. If the personnel reform of the power-related government organizations are needed, President Kim should not hesitate to reshuffle the Director of the NIS and the Public Prosecutor General.