Prosecution Summons Lee Myung-bak in Libel Probe

The Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office yesterday issued a subpoena to Grand National Party (GNP) presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak and three other party leaders for questioning as part of a libel investigation.

Many experts say the prosecution’s measure may spark political conflicts between the GNP and the prosecution since it is rare for the prosecution to summon a presidential candidate of the opposition party ahead of the presidential election.

Prosecutor Shin Jong-dae of the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office said on October 19, “We requested their legal representative to ask Lee and others to appear before the prosecution yesterday. Since there have been National Assembly audits underway recently, we didn’t set specific dates for the individual lawmakers to appear and face our questions.”

He added, “We will precede with the case according to our usual libel lawsuit investigation procedures; thus, we will not accept a delay in a subpoena beyond its legal limitations,” indicating if the defendants reject the prosecutors’ summons request, the government agency will proceed with the case without questioning them.

Prior to this, President Roh Moo-hyun`s secretaries filed a suit on September 7 against GNP presidential nominee Lee Myung-bak, Chairman Lee Jae-oh, floor leader Ahn Sang-soo, and senior party member Park Gye-dong over the GNP`s allegations that the presidential office was masterminding a scheme to damage Lee`s campaign. The prosecution also summoned an administrator of the presidential secretariat as the representative of the accuser on September 28.

In addition, the prosecutors’ office has analyzed evidence materials, including audiovisual records, submitted by Cheong Wa Dae to see whether they contain any controversial remarks.

Prosecutor Shin said, “In principle, the defendants should come before the prosecution and submit relevant materials and evidence to back their argument. We decided to subpoena them since document examinations are usually not enough to complete investigations.”

The GNP has in effect refused the prosecution’s request to question Lee. Ahn Sang-soo, the GNP floor leader, said the party already handed in a request to probe the National Intelligence Service, the National Tax Service, and Cheong Wa Dae, which allegedly collaborated to raise suspicions over Lee’s real estate transactions. “The investigation is underway. Thus, the libel case (proposed by the presidential office) should be dealt with after the ongoing investigation,” he said.

In a meeting with reporters yesterday, GNP candidate Lee Myung-bak didn’t elaborate in detail about the prosecution’s request. Meanwhile, Park Jong-ung, a former GNP lawmaker, along with other five representatives of an association consisting of former Democratic Party members, filed a lawsuit against President Roh for violations of national election laws.

They argued in the text of the indictment, “President Roh, in a lecture given to venture businesses on October 18, clearly violated current election laws by criticizing a candidate’s campaign pledges and stating, “The problem with conservatism is its void of justice and that it lacks competent strategies for sustainable development in the future.”

needjung@donga.com sunshade@donga.com