YS to be Prosecuted for No-Show

The ruling National Congress for New Politics(NCNP)on February 13 decided to prosecute eight people including former president Kim Young Sam and his second son Hyun Chul for ignoring summonses to attend the economic hearing.
However, it is unlikely the ruling side will actually impose a judicial penalty on Kim or allow prosecutors to pursue a case. Earlier the NCNP made it clear they would provide the former president honorable treatment.
The NCNP held a party meeting at its Yoido party headquarters and concluded, 'Although our members do not want to prosecute the former president, the current National Assembly's code regulates that anybody who denies a proper request to attend a hearing must be prosecuted, thus we forced to include Kim.'
A source from the party added, 'Lots of voices emerged that opined the former national leader should be respected, politically.'
Another former president, Choi Kyu Ha, also refused to testify during the Kwangju Democratic Movement investigation in 1989, but he was not penalized by the prosecutor's office.