Tension around Impeachment Intensifies

“The prosecution is trying to give an exemption to President Roh,” said the Grand National Party (GNP) and the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) on March 8 in regard to the prosecution’s midpoint announcement.

“They hurt the oppositional parties as much as they wanted and tried to give an acquittal to the president,” said Eun Jin-soo, GNP’s spokesperson in a commentary. “The prosecution should stop giving excuses and should further investigate into the illicit funds that are just being discovered.”

MDP Spokesperson Kim Young-hwan also criticized, “The current investigation results reveal that this is now the stage in which President Roh is supposed to resign by himself, apart from the opposition’s impeachment process” and added, “The prosecution should thoroughly investigate into the congratulatory money and the illicit funds.”

Meanwhile, Uri Party Spokesperson Park Young-sun said in a commentary, “The midpoint announcement by the prosecution should be evaluated from the perspective that it investigated into the unimaginable scope of the adhesion of the economy and politics in the GNP, disregarding whether it is an oppositional or a governing party.”

Meanwhile, Yoon Tae-young, spokesperson at Cheong Wa Dae said, “We will have a chance to give our stance on the issues at a proper time,” avoiding any direct mentioning of the issue. It was known that the president is likely to give his stance on the comprehensive issue of joining the Uri Party, public confidence, and his campaign funds.

Yeon-Wook Jung jyw11@donga.com