Both Parties Suggest Assembly`s Investigation into "Lee Chul-woo Case"

The ideological row over whether ruling Uri Party’s lawmaker Lee Chul-woo was a member of North Korea’s Workers’ Party or not is leading to another level of political clashes.

The Uri Party suggested to the Grand National Party (GNP) on December 12 that the National Assembly carry out an investigation on how the National Security Law has been abused through reviewing public order cases in the past. The opposition GNP in response, proposed a National Assembly’s investigation centering on Lee’s deeds in the past.

Bae Ki-sun, the head of Uri Party’s countermeasure committee on espionage fabrication , held a press conference and said that through the National Assembly’s investigation, his party wants to unravel how the National Security Law was used not for the protection of the country, but as a means of destroying democracy and facilitating dictatorship by the ruling power under the dictatorship regime, which are predecessors of the GNP.

The Uri Party filed a suit against GNP lawmakers Joo Sung-young, Park Seung-hwan, and Kim Gi-hyeon, who raised suspicions that Lee had served as an agent for North Korea, and the publisher Kim Sang-cheol and the reporter of the Future Korea Weekly, who wrote the controversial article, for libel damages. Also, the Uri Party demanded 100 million won in repatriation from each of the accused.

In regards to this, GNP floor leader Kim Deog-ryong held a press conference on December 12 and proposed an immediate halt of unnecessary political strife and a National Assembly’s investigation into this case to reveal the truth. “Let’s bring all the related people – prosecutors, judges and other related court officials – as material witness, and carry out a National Assembly’s investigation including a TV hearing,” floor leader Kim said.

Young-Chan Yoon Yeon-Wook Jung yyc11@donga.com jyw11@donga.com