Opposition floor leader under fire for son's nationality

Rep. Na Kyung-won, left, floor leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, speaks during a meeting at the National Assembly, Monday. Yonhap

By Do Je-hae

Liberty Korea Party (LKP) floor leader Rep. Na Kyung-won has come under fire for the nationality of her son, a student at Yale University, on the sidelines of a widening prosecutorial probe into Justice Minister Cho Kuk over allegations of illegalities involving his daughter's university admission.

The main opposition floor leader brushed off suspicions about her son having dual nationality as “fake news” and has calling on the ruling party to respond to her proposal last week to launch a special counsel into the allegations involving the children of not just herself, but also President Moon Jae-in, Minister Cho and LKP Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn. They all have children who have been dogged by suspicions of receiving preferential treatment either with schools, employers or mandatory military service.

During a supreme council meeting at the National Assembly, Monday, she countered the rising suspicions that her son was born in the U.S. “I want to make it clear once again that I did not give birth to my son abroad and my son does not have dual nationality,” Na said.

Former LKP leader Hong Joon-pyo, who has accused Na of weak leadership as floor leader, has called on her to swiftly handle the controversies before they inflict real damage on herself and the party. “The controversy over dual nationality will be over once she discloses whether her son at Yale has dual citizenship or not.”

The main opposition floor leader added that she gave birth to her son in Seoul in 1997 when she was working as a judge in Busan. In particular, she pointed out that a U.S. facility rumored to be the place where she gave birth was built in 2000, after her son was born. “From this, it is clear that allegations are fake,” Na said.

She called on the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) to respond to her call for the special counsel and a National Assembly investigation into the Cho scandal. “A survey showed that 46 percent of people want an Assembly investigation. The ruling party must respond to this clear public sentiment.”

Rep. Na's remarks came on the same day the prosecution searched Cho's residence as part of its probe into allegations that his wife forged documents to facilitate their daughter's admission into medical school. His wife was indicted on Sept. 6, the same day Cho underwent a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly

The DPK has brushed off Na's proposal for a special counsel as an attempt to cover up the suspicions surrounding her son.