Korea's election regulators ruled against President Roh Moo-hyun on Thursday, saying his recent criticism of presidential contenders from the main opposition party violated election laws.
The National Election Commission found that Roh failed to keep political neutrality as a public servant in a verdict on the case filed by the conservative Grand National Party (GNP), said Kim Hyeon-moo, a commissioner with the regulators, adding, "There are some parts (of Roh's remarks) that violated the laws."
The regulators, however, said Roh's remarks were not a case of pre-electioneering, adding the group of his supporters he made the remarks to was not a private organization for campaigning.
In a four-hour-long speech to his supporters on Saturday, Roh said it's "horrible to think of what would happen" if the GNP wins the presidential election.
Apparently targeting Park Geun-hye, a major GNP contender and daughter of former President Park Chung-hee, who ruled the country with an iron fist in the 1960s and 1970s, Roh said it would be "embarrassing" to see foreign media reports saying "the South Korean leader is the daughter of a dictator."
Roh said that the major election promise of Lee Myung-bak, the front runner of the GNP, to build an inland canal is "an empty pledge without a strategy."
Shrugging off GNP criticism, Roh said Tuesday, "It is nonsense for any country in the world to ban its president from political activities. I just criticized the GNP, as it has continuously
taken issue with my government's key policies."
Roh was impeached by the National Assembly in 2004 after his remarks on general elections were found to be illegal by the election commission. He was later reinstated by the Constitutional Court, which nullified the unprecedented impeachment of the In late 2003,
Roh was also urged by the election watchdog to "cooperate" in fair elections after he made remarks against a minor opposition party ahead of the general elections.
With eight months left in office, Roh has recently geared up his contentious political remarks, which are also aimed at liberal contenders seeking a clean break with the unpopular president.