Opposition presses President on special probe
By Lee Tae-hoon
The main opposition party pressed President Lee Myung-bak Thursday to appoint one of the two independent counsel nominees it has recommended to investigate suspicions over the land purchase on which his retirement residence was to be built.
Rep. Park Jie-won, floor leader of the Democratic United Party (DUP), showed no sign of compromising or yielding to Lee’s demands for changing its nominees, saying his party was given the sole right to recommend two candidates.
Cheong Wa Dae has urged the DUP to abide by its alleged promise to come up with a list of candidates based on a consensus with the ruling Saenuri Party for the special prosecutor post.
Independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo said the President should abide by the law that calls an investigation into his 34-year-old-son Lee Si-hyung, accused of purchasing a plot of land in Naegok-dong, Seoul below market price.
His spokesman Yoo Min-young pointed out that the President cannot be an exception to the principle that all are equal before the law.
Aides to Lee said he has demanded the DUP again discuss how to recommend an independent counsel because he views the two proposed lawyers as being pro-opposition and unfit to carry out a fair probe.
Lee, who signed the legislation on the appointment of a special prosecutor instead of vetoing it last month, showed a change of heart Wednesday by refusing to endorse either of two opposition-backed nominees.
Under the law which passed the National Assembly on Sept. 3, President Lee needs to appoint one of two candidates within three days since the recommendation is made by the DUP.
Since the DUP made the recommendation Tuesday, Lee has to choose one for the special counsel post by today _ either former judge Lee Kwang-beom or civil rights lawyer Kim Hyung-tae, both of whom have been selected by the liberal party.
Lee is a member of the progressive Society for Research on Our Law and Kim is a member of Lawyers for a Democratic Society. Both organizations have been at odds with the conservative Lee administration.
Meanwhile, senior officials of the Saenuri Party argued that the DUP broke an agreement by moving forward on the unilateral appointments, saying a change in counsel candidates is necessary through re-negotiations.
Saenuri Party floor leader Lee Hahn-koo also claimed the two lawyers were tapped without due consultation. “The move can only be viewed as a ploy to use the special prosecutor to gain an upper hand in the Dec. 19 poll," he said, adding the DUP’s move was a clear breach of faith.
He said the DUP must apologize to the public for corrupting the investigation into an election strategy.
Legal experts say the President is obliged to follow the special counsel law, but will likely violate it as he thinks it will lead to a politically charged probe investigation ahead of the Dec. 19 presidential poll.
They point out that the legislation does not specify any penalty in the case Lee refuses to appoint one of the DUP-recommended special prosecutor candidates.