The Grand National Party Opens Fire on President Roh

The Grand National Party (GNP) is giving an impetus to President Roh Moo-hyun’s investigation for inquiring into the actual state of last year’s illegal presidential campaign funds of the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) on November 9.

GNP spokesman Park Jin, in a commentary, said, “Both lawmaker Chyung Dai-chul and Lee Sang-soo, who knew the entire picture of the MDP’s presidential campaign funds, either directly or indirectly confessed about President Roh’s illegal election campaign funds,” and targeted President Roh by saying, “To inquire into the actual state of the illegal presidential campaign funds, it is unavoidable for President Roh to be investigated.”

The GNP pointed out lawmaker Chyung’s utterance, saying, “The issue of the funds was reported (from lawmaker Lee Sang-soo) with President Roh after the election,” and lawmaker Lee Sang-soo’s commented, “I will open the election campaign funds to the public sooner or later. I was permitted to do so by President Roh.”

Prior to this, the GNP took the offensive on the controversy of President Roh’s private aid association, which was raised by the MDP on November 8. Spokesman Park, in a commentary, said, “President Roh and his aides have to make clear the suspicion on illegal election campaign funds, which was raised through the private aid association, and to tell the truth,” and urged an investigation into the private aid association.

Park said, “Lee Ki-myung, Ahn Hee-jeong, and others who engaged in the management of the private aid association are the closest aides to President Roh,” and insisted, “The MDP’s insistence can be trusted because a few people among them are related to the suspicion of President Roh’s property.”

Meantime, separating from its offensive which had been taking aims at President Roh, the GNP withdrew its existing words that it would not help the prosecution’s investigation on the 10 billion won-SK slush fund, and is planning to examine a policy of “helping the investigation.”

In his telephone call with the press, the head of the legal support center, Shim Kyu-cheol, said, “We are examining a plan that will make the two working-level persons of the finance bureau appear before the prosecution and have them help the prosecution’s investigation,” and, “We need to revise our standpoint because it will not be a gain to the party if the GNP gives an impression that it is interfering with the prosecution’s investigation.”

In connection with the GNP’s “double-faced policy,” the ins and outs of the party analyzed that it justified the GNP’s conduct to push for an independent counsel.

Min-Hyuk Park mhpark@donga.com