[Editorial] Lee should Blow Whistle

Rep. Lee Hae-chan of the Millennium Democratic Party said somebody asked him to publicly rekindle the draft-dodging scandal surrounding Grand National Party presidential candidate Lee Hoi-chang`s son. The `somebody` might and must be the prosecution.

In this vein, it is so natural to suspect that the investigation into the draft-dodging scandal was an attempt to damage Lee Hoi-chang`s presidential bid by the collusive ties between the government and the prosecution.

As long as this suspicion goes round, the prosecution`s investigation into the draft-dodging scandal or the MDP`s political offensive against Lee Hoi-chang cannot be justified. The MDP argues that whatever Lee Hae-chan said, the point is that Lee Hoi-chang bribed military officials to have his son exempted from the military service and to cover up the fact. But that is not the case. The MDP should recognized that the suspicion over its political maneuvering can be more volatile that the draft-dodging scandal.

Rep. Lee Hae-chan should make in clear who asked him to publicly take issue with the draft-dodging scandal. He cannot avoid criticism if he insists that the person is not a prosecutor but his acquaintance. The more excuse he makes, the more the suspicion over the political maneuvering will escalate. If things proceed in this dubious direction, the public would not believe the MDP and the prosecution whatever the result of the investigation comes out.

The Justice Ministry decided to keep Park Yeong-gwan, who is allegedly at the center of the recent bombshell, in office. Park flatly denied he made such a demand, but the GNP maintains that he is the centerpiece of the collusive tie between the government and the prosecution. If the prosecution is to show its uncompromising commitment to holding out in the face of the political pressure, it should unearth all the suspicions over its alleged collusion with the government through a thorough investigation.

There are some more to be clarified in the remarks made by Rep. Lee Hae-chan. If Lee would not reveal the truth, the prosecution should do it. If the prosecution tried to skate over Lee`s volatile remarks, the public confidence in it`s commitment to a fair investigation into the draft-dodging scandal will be significantly eroded.