Three Sons of President Dragged into Controversy

While the Grand National Party (GNP) pointed their fingers to three sons of President Kim Dae-Jung as responsible for suspicious graft scandals and demanded introduction of a special prosecution team and a parliamentary investigation on the affairs, the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) criticized the demand as an irresponsible political offensive. The confrontational atmosphere of the ruling and opposition camps is more heightened surrounding the issues of three sons of President Kim.

Top three officeholders of the GNP including secretary general of the party Lee Sang-Deuk held a joint press conference and urged, `The prosecution should investigate three sons, and if the guilt is proven, they should be arrested,` saying, `The questions raised in relation to three sons of President Kim, Hong-Il, Hong-Up, and Hong-Gul are mere tips of iceberg.`

They also claimed, `President Kim should apologize to the people unconditionally,` and added, `President Kim should bear himself an investigation, if it is necessary, on suspicions that the Blue House is involved in graft scandals.

Additionally, in an interpellation session on social and cultural sectors in the National Assembly held today, GNP Rep. Huh Tae-Yeol said, `President Kim should launch the second Cha Jeong-Il special prosecution team within his administration tenure, and when crimes are exposed followed by unrestricted investigation on three sons and the Asia-Pacific Peace Foundation, President Kim should immediately resign his presidency and apologize before the citizens and history.`

Rep. Kim Yong-Hak claimed, `Public opinion that President Kim should seriously consider his resignation of presidency is widely spreading.`

MDP spokesperson Lee Nak-Yon criticized the assaults, `Mentioning President by GNP members is an unbearable political offensive that goes against our constitutional spirit, and they are maneuvering for political reasons to recover the declining popular support.

He also struck back against the demand for investigation on sons of President, `As the prosecution is investigating in strict and just way, we should for now be content merely watching the investigation,` and `Even though that is the case, the political circle is demanding its favorite measures of prosecution, which is an interference on the investigation under progress.`

President of the United Liberal Democrats (ULD), Kim Jong-Pil, put brake on the demand of GNP for the introduction of a special prosecution team, `The prosecution should implement thorough investigation on national cases so that any doubt may not remain in relation to that, and if the result is unsatisfactory, then the introduction of a special prosecution office should be discussed later.`

In-Soo Song issong@donga.com · Jong-Koo Yoon jkmas@donga.com