GNP Sues Three, Including President Roh

On June 5, the Grand National Party (GNP) took legal action against President Roh, Representative Lee Byeong-wan and Chief Executive Ahn Hee-jeong of the Participatory Government Evaluation Forum (PGE Forum).

“President Roh, aiming to impede the Grand National Party’s seizure of power through the coming presidential election, plainly violated the Public Official Election Law by neglecting his duty as a person in public service to stay politically neutral, exercising inappropriate influence over the election, and conducting acts that can affect the outcome of the election,” wrote GNP in the filing document.

The GNP pointed out that President Roh violated five articles of the Election Law, which are: Responsibilities of Public Officials for Neutrality (Article 9), Persons Barred from Election Campaign (Article 60), Prohibition of Election Campaigning by Taking Advantage of Status (Article 85), Public Officials Prohibited from Acts that Have Effects on Elections (Article 86), and Violating Election Campaign Periods (Article 254).

In the filing document against Representative Lee and Chief Executive Ahn, the GNP alleged that, “The PGE Forum falls under the “establishment of a private organization” banned by Article 87 of the Public Official Election Law, which can be proven by the fact that it allowed President Roh to make a campaign speech aimed at causing GNP candidates to lose the election with the intention of impeding the GNP from gaining power, and that it has been incessantly denouncing the GNP and the GNP candidates since its establishment.”

taylor55@donga.com