Pro-President Groups’ Plans to Support Uri Party Candidates Raises Controversy

Pro-president organizations’ plans to campaign for the Uri Party candidates running in the April National Assembly elections has caused concern over whether or not their well-concerted efforts will run afoul of the law.

Nosamo, or Roh lovers’ club, online network People’s Power, online publication Seoprise.com, webcaster Radio 21, and other pro-president groups have collectively formed The People’s Participation 0415 to respond to the elections, Dong-A learned on January 26.

“We will choose candidate we want to see elected. We volunteer to campaign for them and organize small-scale fundraisings,” said Yi Sang-ho, a 38-year-old who co-represents the umbrella group in a telephone interview with Dong-A. “We plan to do online publicity campaigns for the candidates,” he added.

The group said they would select the candidates for their policy, morality, and career histories. However, it would in effect start campaigns to support Uri candidates.

The 0415 put up a recruitment slogan, bringing out a 100,000-strong army of volunteers to mobilize 90,000 Nosamo members and other campaign workers to the elections.

It plans to launch a small-scale fundraiser, Piggy Bank for Hope, and will join a one million-signatory petition drive by the Uri Party to seize illicit political slush funds.

Around February 8, the 0415 will hold a rally similar to the Remember 1219, a rally Nosamo organized to mark the first anniversary of President’s Roh’s electoral victory.

In related developments, some candidates for the chairmanship of Hanchongryon, a national body of student unions banned by the government, pledged that, during the two-day election scheduled for January 30-31, they will organize a campaign to unseat Grand National Party (GNP) candidates and legislators who supported the dispatch of troops to Iraq and to support the Korean Democratic Labor Party (KDLP), a move that raises concern that the banned student organization will also collectively intervene in the April elections.

“The 0415 poses itself as a spontaneous organization. It has been revealed to be an illicit private group of the Uri Party aimed at electoral campaigns,” said Hong Sa-duk, the GNP general secretary. Rep. Kim Young-hwan, speaking for the Millennium Democratic Party, said, “They are President Roh’s Red Guards.” He said, “They attempted to skew public opinion for political purposes. The people won’t be deceived twice.”

“We put these groups on close watch. We will respond sternly when they violate electoral regulations,” said a source in the National Election Commission.

In related news, the commission sent an advisory letter on December 30 to President Roh regarding his participation in the Remember 1219 rally. On January 19, the government watchdog warned Nosamo that the group’s publicity campaign during the Lunar New Year holidays was in violation of the election law and urged it to respect regulations.

Yong-Gwan Jung Myoung-Gun Lee yongari@donga.com gun43@donga.com