Probe Corners Park, Alerts Lee
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
Two leading presidential contenders of the major opposition Grand National Party (GNP) are in a no-win situation as they are the targets of an investigation by the prosecution.
The probe, which was triggered at the request of the former Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak's camp, has initially cornered his rival candidate former GNP Chairwoman Park Geun-hye.
Hong Yun-sik, a staff member of Park's camp, was arrested Monday for requesting a retired police officer to provide him with details of Lee's real estate dealings.
The fact that Hong is one of the key figures working for Park has dealt a blow to her and makes earlier allegations that her supporters orchestrated the smear campaign plausible.
Observers are now asking whether Hong or other aides of Park maliciously shared the private information with Rep. Kim Hyuk-kyu of the pro-government Uri Party so that he could attack Lee. Kim claimed Lee had used phony residential addresses for property speculation.
Lee's supporters have claimed that Park's aides and the ruling camp have colluded with each other to attack the frontrunner in the presidential race.
They said that Hong and Kim both had a copy of a document on Lee's real estate dealing history, having the same date. A Seoul prosecutor said a probe is under way on the alleged link between the two groups. If collusion is confirmed, it will deal a fatal blow to Park, the daughter of former President Park Chung-hee, who led Korea from 1962 till his assassination in 1979.
The Lee camp has also scored an initial victory in its war against the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
The agency admitted it had run a task force whose core duty was to collect and investigate information on Lee.
The recent cases _ the NIS admission of its covert activities to destabilize Lee and Park's aide illicitly gaining access to private property information _ have empowered Lee in the race for the GNP's presidential nomination.
His supporters claimed the agency leaked private information on Lee's former activities as a CEO of Hyundai Engineering & Construction before he became involved in politics. The GNP has urged President Roh Moo-hyun to make a public apology over the political surveillance and dismiss the NIS director. In addition, the GNP is to file a lawsuit today against an NIS agent for his covert operation of the team targeting Lee.
However, Lee's camp is also alarmed over the prosecution investigation as it is closely looking into his questionable accumulation of wealth. Park and the Uri Party have claimed that Lee and his family members used a variety of unethical and illegal methods to make large amounts of money from real estate in the past.
The prosecution is looking into allegations that the former Seoul mayor provided special favors to his brother-in-law Kim Jae-jung and other relatives in Seoul construction projects, and hid his wealth in the name of family members.
Despite Park's attack on Lee, the former Seoul mayor is leading in various opinion polls although the popularity gap between them has narrowed. Tomorrow, the GNP will hold a screening session on the integrity of its candidates, which is expected to become a battle ground for Lee and Park.