DP calls for independent probe into agencies` alleged election meddling

Kim Han-gil, the leader of South Korea`s main opposition Democratic Party (DP) proposed Friday to the government and the ruling Saenuri Party to launch an investigation by an independent council into allegations of various state agencies` intervention in last year`s presidential election.

At his party`s supreme council meeting, Kim argued, "We cannot trust the prosecution any more when it comes to cases related with the last year`s presidential election. We have no choice but to leave everything about the suspicions surrounding the presidential election up to a special prosecutor."

He also criticized the state prosecution for openly summoning Moon Jae-in, the DP`s presidential candidate, who received 48 percent support in the presidential election but exchanging questions-and-answer sheets with key officials of President Park`s main campaign officials, some of whom read the transcripts of the 2007 presidential election. "It is typical of the prosecution to conduct such an extremely partial probe," he argued.

Kim`s aides said he called for a special prosecutor`s investigation because of the prosecution`s "partial probe" into cases regarding the allegedly illegal leakage and disclosure of the 2007 inter-Korean summit.

On the same day, the DP boycotted all parliamentary proceedings and some 50 of its lawmakers held a protest in front the Supreme Prosecutors` Office in southern Seoul against the allegedly "partial" investigation.

In a briefing to reporter, the house spokesperson of the ruling Saenuri Party criticized the DP for attempting to disrupt parliamentary proceedings and calling for independent investigation in order to protect Moon and create an opposition alliance.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors` Office said that it would summon key ruling party lawmakers including Kim Moo-sung, one of President Park Geun-hye key aides, next week to question them as to how they accessed a copy of the 2007 inter-Korean summit transcript, a top secret document.

The prosecution said that it did not changed the way it treated the ruling party lawmakers because of the public criticism.

A prosecution official said that the prosecution coordinating the timing of his summon after the written probe.