Opposition Parties Request Investigations into Two Cases

The Grand National Party (GNP), the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP), the Democratic Labor Party (DLP), and the People First Party (PFP) – the four opposition parties – held a meeting that each vice floor leader participated yesterday. They reached an agreement on drawing up concrete plans for the National Assembly’s investigation into two cases: Yoon Sang-lim, a mysterious "broker-lobbyist," and professor Hwang Woo-suk’s falsified data. The report will be submitted to the National Assembly today.

The special committee composed by 29 lawmakers drew up this report on Mr. Yoon’s case, which includes illegal lobbying activities such as treating people and receiving money, money laundering and dealing with people behind the cases, government and politicians’ intervention in concessions, and entrepreneurs’ illegal lobbying activities with Mr. Yoon.

Regarding professor Hwang’s falsified data case involving Hwang’s faked papers and violation of ethics guidelines, suspicions over lobbying activities to win support and ties from politicians, unreasonable request for covering Dr. Hwang and suspicions over related ministry’s intervention, and hiding of unfair support for Hwang, the special committee requested that these should be addressed.

The four opposition parties reached consensus to pass the bill on appointment of a Special prosecutor to investigate National Security Planning Agency (the current National Intelligence Service) the “X file” scandal at the National Assembly within this month.

Furthermore, the parties decided to move on a resolution calling for the cancellation of sales of Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) to Lone Star this week.

“As a variety of suspicions on the process of KEB’s sale to Lone Star is brewing, we need to investigative the truth of the matter,” said Shim Sang-jeong, a vice floor leader of the Democratic Labor Party.

Jung-Eun Lee lightee@donga.com