Another major partisan fight looms

By Kim Hyo-jin

Lee Myung-bak

Choi Kyung-hwan

Lee Sang-deuk

Park Young-june

Moon Jae-in

Chung Sye-kyun

The main parties are clashing over a list of witnesses proposed to stand at the so-called “energy diplomacy” hearings, raising the possibility that the scheduled inquiries may fall through.

The special investigative committee in the Lee Myung-bak administration’s resource diplomacy reached agreement Thursday on four-days of hearings to take place on March 31, April 1, 3, and 6. But the committee members are locked in a dispute over who should testify at the hearings.

The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) demanded that 120 witnesses appear including key figures in the previous Lee Myung-bak administration. They include incumbent Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan, former President Lee Myung-bak, Lee’s brother and former lawmaker Lee Sang-deuk and former Vice Energy Minister Park Young-june.

Meanwhile, the ruling Saenuri Party called for a list of 50 officials who worked mainly in the Roh Moo-hyun administration. They include former presidential secretary and incumbent NPAD Chairman Moon Jae-in and former Energy Minister and NPAD lawmaker Chung Sye-kyun.

Rep. Hong Young-pyo of the NPAD expressed strong objections about the Saenuri Party’s list.

“It is too far-stretched. We should only aim those who came into question during the committee’s probe,” he said, referring to officials from the Lee administration.

NPAD’s Jeon Jeong-hee voiced a similar view, saying, “The Saenuri Party appears to have no intention of holding the hearings at all. It opposes every single key figure we demand of the botched energy development projects.”

Rep. Jhun Ha-jin of the ruling Saenuri Party denied such accusations, citing the need to call in Roh’s officials.

“The Roh administration began foreign energy resources projects in a bid to raise the independent energy development ratio,” Jhun said.

But he remained skeptical about the plan to hold hearings. “To tell the truth, few can be resolved at hearings. If someone needs to be punished for illegal actions, the issue should be dealt with in the prosecution, not in the committee probe.”

He added that it needs to be seen how the investigation into the Korea National Oil Corp. and Keangnam Enterprises will proceed.

Prosecutors raided the head offices of the state-run KNOC and Keangnam Enterprises, Wednesday, as part of their widening investigation into allegations of corruption involving the failed energy initiative.

Rival parties are expected to decide the witness list, today and finalize it during the committee meeting, Tuesday.

Amid growing criticism, the rival parties set up the special committee last year to look into allegations that the previous administration spent tens of billions of dollars on overseas energy projects that had few results. The committee started the probe on Dec. 29 for a 100-day run.