By Do Je-hae
The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) threatened to call for the impeachment of embattled Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo if he continues to ignore mounting calls to resign over his alleged involvement in a graft scandal.
"If it is proven that the prime minister provided false testimony during the interpellation sessions, this constitutes a perjury. This provides grounds for an impeachment," Chung Jung-rae said during an NPAD Supreme Council meeting. "The prime minister is advised to tell the truth and resign before he is severely punished for lying at the National Assembly."
The four-day interpellation sessions that began Monday have pivoted around Lee's association with the Sung Woan-jong scandal. Lee is facing widespread calls, even from his own Saenuri Party, to quit office before answering a prospective summons from the prosecution over allegations he took kickbacks from the late Keangnam Enterprises chairman during the 2013 parliamentary by-election.
On day three of the interpellation session, Lee repeated that he had never been close to the late businessmen and that there were no financial transactions during election campaigning.
Wednesday's headlines, however, brought forth fresh information about Lee-Sung ties. A JTCB report said that the two had met on 23 occasions during the last 20 months. An update in the Kyunghyang Shinmun said that beverage boxes containing a hefty sum of money had been delivered to Lee's campaign office in Buyeo, Chungcheong Province on April 4, 2013.
"There were so many people in the office at the time, mostly from the media," Lee said at the interpellation session. "It is not likely that I would have had a private meeting with Sung on that day."
Lee said that any meeting he had with Sung, a former lawmaker, was in his capacity as floor leader of the ruling Saenuri Party. "I did see him on multiple occasions to discuss the regional elections last year and the party's candidate nominations."
Lee finds himself at the center of one of the most notorious corruption scandals of the Park Geun-hye administration with less than two months on the job. He declared an all-out war on corruption in a national address in March.
Lee fielded questions on his discussions with the President about whether or not to retain his post. "It is inappropriate to share my communications with the President at this time," Lee said.
Lee said Tuesday that he is willing to answer to the prosecution's summons, and that he would "forfeit his life" if the allegations of kickbacks turned out to be true.
It he retains his post and appears for prosecutorial questioning, he will be the first to do so as an incumbent prime minister.
It is not likely that he will be removed any time soon as the President will be out of the country starting today for an extended Latin American tour with a huge business entourage.
Cheong Wa Dae has not issued any official statement about calls for Lee's resignation, saying that it will watch the proceedings of the prosecutorial investigation into the scandal.
The nation's No. 2 man in charge is one of eight political stalwarts listed on a slush fund memo left behind by Sung, the former chairman of a troubled construction company who committed suicide last week. He was being investigated as part of a probe into failed energy projects implemented during the Lee Myung-bak administration.
Also included on the list were President Park's two previous chiefs of staff ― Huh Tae-yeol and Kim Ki-choon ― as well as the incumbent, Lee Byung-kee.
The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) threatened to call for the impeachment of embattled Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo if he continues to ignore mounting calls to resign over his alleged involvement in a graft scandal.
"If it is proven that the prime minister provided false testimony during the interpellation sessions, this constitutes a perjury. This provides grounds for an impeachment," Chung Jung-rae said during an NPAD Supreme Council meeting. "The prime minister is advised to tell the truth and resign before he is severely punished for lying at the National Assembly."
The four-day interpellation sessions that began Monday have pivoted around Lee's association with the Sung Woan-jong scandal. Lee is facing widespread calls, even from his own Saenuri Party, to quit office before answering a prospective summons from the prosecution over allegations he took kickbacks from the late Keangnam Enterprises chairman during the 2013 parliamentary by-election.
On day three of the interpellation session, Lee repeated that he had never been close to the late businessmen and that there were no financial transactions during election campaigning.
Wednesday's headlines, however, brought forth fresh information about Lee-Sung ties. A JTCB report said that the two had met on 23 occasions during the last 20 months. An update in the Kyunghyang Shinmun said that beverage boxes containing a hefty sum of money had been delivered to Lee's campaign office in Buyeo, Chungcheong Province on April 4, 2013.
"There were so many people in the office at the time, mostly from the media," Lee said at the interpellation session. "It is not likely that I would have had a private meeting with Sung on that day."
Lee said that any meeting he had with Sung, a former lawmaker, was in his capacity as floor leader of the ruling Saenuri Party. "I did see him on multiple occasions to discuss the regional elections last year and the party's candidate nominations."
Lee finds himself at the center of one of the most notorious corruption scandals of the Park Geun-hye administration with less than two months on the job. He declared an all-out war on corruption in a national address in March.
Lee fielded questions on his discussions with the President about whether or not to retain his post. "It is inappropriate to share my communications with the President at this time," Lee said.
Lee said Tuesday that he is willing to answer to the prosecution's summons, and that he would "forfeit his life" if the allegations of kickbacks turned out to be true.
It he retains his post and appears for prosecutorial questioning, he will be the first to do so as an incumbent prime minister.
It is not likely that he will be removed any time soon as the President will be out of the country starting today for an extended Latin American tour with a huge business entourage.
Cheong Wa Dae has not issued any official statement about calls for Lee's resignation, saying that it will watch the proceedings of the prosecutorial investigation into the scandal.
The nation's No. 2 man in charge is one of eight political stalwarts listed on a slush fund memo left behind by Sung, the former chairman of a troubled construction company who committed suicide last week. He was being investigated as part of a probe into failed energy projects implemented during the Lee Myung-bak administration.
Also included on the list were President Park's two previous chiefs of staff ― Huh Tae-yeol and Kim Ki-choon ― as well as the incumbent, Lee Byung-kee.
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