Conservatives, Progressives Clash Over Prosecution
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
The prosecution's interim-report on its probe into a financial scam created a storm among citizens, resulting in clashes between and within the progressive and conservative camps.
From early morning, people waited for the announcement with its heavy implications for the upcoming presidential election slated for Dec. 19.
Following the announcement, which cleared the Grand National Party's presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak of all allegations linked to the BBK financial scandal, citizens rushed to pledge support or denouncement in public Wednesday.
More than a hundred members of Korea Alliance of Progressive Movement gathered in front of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-dong in Seoul and protested the wrongness of the report.
The organization said, ``Though it was quite evident that Lee was the owner of the BBK, the prosecution did not track down bank accounts and summon key figures of the allegations thoroughly just because they are out of the country.''
The members asserted that the prosecution has given up its autonomy and become a pawn. It claimed that the investigation report should be nullified. The alliance held a candlelight vigil in Jongno, downtown Seoul, in the evening.
Ryu Sun-min, head of the Federation of Korea University Student Councils, said he will go on a hunger strike in protest of the report and unfair investigation.
Other so-called progressive civic groups held rallies in front of the GNP headquarters asking for Lee Myung-bak to stand down.
On the other hand, conservatives welcomed the report saying the ``truth has finally been verified.'' They have started to work on countermeasures _ to punish those who made wrongful accusations.
The New Right Union held a press conference in front of the prosecutors' office, the same spot as the progressives' alliance, attacking stock manipulator and former GNP candidate's business partner Kim Kyung-joon.
``The BBK case was already verified as a solitary crime in 2001, but Lee's political rivals and the swindler tried to make false allegations against Lee again,'' the union's spokesman Choi jae-dong said asking for the severe punishment of Kim.
Also, the organization asked for apologies from other political parties and people who had previously accused the former Seoul mayor of wrongdoing. ``Those people have ignored the presidential elections being all about pledges rather than holding negative campaigns only,'' Choi said.
Democratic Network 21, consisting of former lawmaker Park Chong-ung and other so-called pro-democracy activists said it is time for people who stood by the financial scammer to be summoned and be convicted of their guilt.
``We ask them to stop deceiving good and innocent people by making false accusations,'' Park said.
