By Kim Yon-se
Staff Reporter
The presidential office was perplexed by a letter sent by the National Election Commission (NEC) on Tuesday that rejected a proposal stressing to preview President Roh Moo-hyun's ``scheduled'' political remarks.
After the letter was delivered Monday, Cheong Wa Dae refused to make any official comment on it the following day.
Though Cheong Wa Dae has planned to consult with the NEC before Roh is scheduled to make any political remarks in order to avoid any legal violation, the election watchdog disregarded the move by sending a one-page letter which described the bids as ``inappropriate.''
Answering questions at a news briefing, presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-seon said, ``We are embarrassed by the response.''
He said Cheong Wa Dae officials are still discussing internally how best proceed in one or two days, adding only, ``We believe the NEC's former rulings that Roh violated the law and the contents of the letter are inconsistent.''
The spokesman declined to comment whether the office will withdraw its policy to seek the NEC's preview.
In its letter, the commission said the president's consulting with the commission before making political comments is improper.
It also said there was no case that an agency or an individual called for the commission to reply in the form of ``yes or no'' whether their planned political comments are against the Election Law.
The presidential office disclosed Roh's planned political remarks to the commission on June 29, asking the election watchdog to review whether the President could have violated the election law if the remarks are made public.
The scheduled remarks include further criticism on Lee Myung-bak, a presidential hopeful of the main opposition Grand National Party.
``In order to rule whether a public official violates the Article on political neutrality or the Article on banning civil servants from pre-campaigning, we should take a variety of factors _ such as motive, audiences, frequency and situation _ into consideration,'' the NEC said in the letter.
The commission suggested the presidential office refer to judicial precedents of the Supreme Court, rulings of the Constitutional Court, and relevant stipulations.
After the commission ruled in June that Roh breached the law requiring public officials to stay neutral ahead of elections several times, Cheon said the ruling is interpreted as a guideline urging the President to ``shut his mouth.''
On June 19, he affirmed, ``From now on, we have no choice but to consult with the commission before President Roh makes any political remarks.''