[Editorial] Mr. President, Time for You to Tell about 400 Billion Allegation

Grand National Party has proposed that Congress should investigate the allegation of 400 billion won secret aid to North. But Millennium Democratic Party has just brushed off the proposal under a flimsy excuse that it is the abuse of the majority power. Actually, an investigation, if it had been launched, would have easily proved the truthfulness of the allegation via tracking the transferring records. The government is trying not to embark on a probe, citing that it would violate the law. But that sounds tenuous, to say the least. In response, the labor union of National Supervisory Service issued a statement on Oct. 7 and, in the statement, refuted the flimsy excuse the government has come up with by saying that there is no legal problem in tracking the banking records. When the executive body lacks the will to find out the truth, it is a sound and natural duty of Congress to take its place and launch the National Investigation.

Last week, Um Nak-yong, the former head of Industrial Bank, supported the “secret-aid” allegation by proffering detailed circumstantial evidence showing the involvement of the Blue House. But Park Ji-won, the incumbent President’s Chief of Staff, issued a statement and denied the involvement, saying, “We have not given a dime to North.” But the game of denial is also being played by former Chief of Staff Han Kwang-ok, who is suspected of ordering Lee Keun-yong, then the head of Industrial Bank, to loan the money to Hyundai. He has kept strongly denying everything about the allegation.

Just denying it would not clear the doubt of the public over this matter. The war of consumption triggered by the partisanship should not take charge in resolving this matter. Therefore, the congressional National Investigation, one of the solutions of this mess-up, should be commenced. But the real problem lies in the expected lack of cooperation on the part of the government and the MDP. The MDP will probably allege that it is the conspiracy of the GNP and Mr. Um. Under these circumstances, it seems doubtful how fruitful the National Investigation, if any, could be. Rather than finding out the truth, the investigation seems likely to end up in expansion of a war of the partisanship.

Here, we request again that President Kim Dae Jung should tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth regarding this matter. He should know the old saying, “Better late than never.” It is necessary to repair the credibility of this administration among the citizens. It is also necessary to build up a new, positive relationship with North and nurture it. Only when the government takes everything off the chest and makes the public understood, a positive relationship between North and South can be expected. The longer Kim Dae Jung administration sits on its hands, the bigger misfortune will wait for President Kim as well as for the nation itself.