By Kang Seung-woo
The ruling and opposition parties reached an agreement Thursday to extend the statute of limitations on collecting a fine owed by former President Chun Doo-hwan.
But they disagreed on the details of which legislation to apply in penalizing people who refuse to pay fines imposed on them. Some of the proposals being discussed include confiscating assets owned by family members, and imposing community service.
“There is no disagreement between the ruling and the opposition parties that public servants’ assets illegally acquired must be uncovered and confiscated,” Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the Saenuri Party said in a radio interview, accompanied by Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Choon-suak.
But they have yet to decide whether to extend the statute of limitations to seven years or 10 from the current three.
The former President, who ruled from 1980 to 1988 after taking power through a military coup, was ordered by the Supreme Court in 1997 to pay a fine of 220 billion won ($192 million) in restitution to state coffers, which he was found to have accumulated illegally. But he refused to pay, saying he had only 290,000 won in his bank account.
The 82-year-old has so far paid only a quarter of the total ― about 167 billion won remains unpaid.
Calls for collecting the fine have been mounting in recent times, as the statute of limitations for this will expire in October.
Kweon opposed asset confiscation from family members or imposition of community service, both of which are being pushed by the opposition because they are likely to be unconstitutional.
“Almost all in legal circles will consider legislation on imposing community service (if a guilty person refuses to pay a fine) as unconstitutional,” the lawmaker added. “We will discuss it next Tuesday.”
Lee countered, urging the ruling party to figure out public sentiment.
“There needs to be more strict regulations to root out unlawful acts,” Lee said.
Meanwhile, Roh Tae-woo, Chun’s successor, last week expressed his intention to pay the remainder of his unpaid fine, with his wife filing a petition to Prosecutor General Chae Dong-wook.
She asked the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office to have Roh’s younger brother and a former in-law return assets he gave them so that they could be sold to settle the outstanding unpaid fines.
Roh was slapped with a 262.8 billion won fine in 1997, with 23 billion won remaining unpaid.