[INSIGHT] Political Farce at the People's Expense

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[INSIGHT] Political Farce at the People's Expense

The People's Right to Know the Truth Is More Important than Politicians' Reputations.
by Kwon Il

At a National Assembly hearing held on October 24, lawmaker Chung Hyung-keun of the Grand National Party fingered two men, using the initial of their surname, as participants in the illegal loan scandal involving Dongbang Mutual Savings and Finance. Another man, again identified only by an initial, was subsequently added to the list of suspected ruling party's politicians involved in the scandal. At the same time, speculation as to the identities of the three men was rife in political circles. On Thursday, Grand National Party Rep. Lee Ju-young finally revealed the full names, including that of a fourth figure, a Mr. P.

The men Mr. Lee named - Kwon Roh-kap, Kim Ok-doo, Kim Hong-il and Park Joon-young - are all aligned in some way with the Kim Dae-jung administration. It was nine days since Mr. Lee began his exercise of using initials to implicate figures closely tied to the ruling party. No evidence was presented to substantiate Mr. Lee's assertion that the people he named were, in fact, involved in the scandal.

If Mr. Lee knew of their identities and had evidence to support his allegations, it was the people's right to know immediately.

The press mentioned the initials daily - the real names were never used. This theater of absurdity was made even more mystifying when the implicated individuals issued denials in the press without giving their names.

It is certainly wrong and unprofessional to implicate, quote, or otherwise besmirch politicians or other public figures using only their initials.

A public figure, particularly a politician, surrenders his right to anonymity upon assuming office because he or she is now beholden to the public.

If the implicated politicians issue denials, the people definitely have the right to know who they are. And when the press delivers the anonymous explanations, it is also obligated to the public to disclose their names. The use of initials is farcical.

If the implicated politicians knew that their names were being mentioned behind the scenes, they could have made clear explanations from the beginning. It seemed to many as if they were hiding behind the veil of initials.

Whether it was the initials or the full real names, the opposition party's argument should be evaluated strictly. If the representative's allegations of wrongdoing turned out to be groundless, the opposition party must assume full responsibility. That is for the prosecution to decide as it proceeds with its investigation.

One of the key figures in the scandal, Chung Hyun-joon, insisted that people with political clout were involved. Furthermore, tens of billions of won are missing and major suspects have fled to foreign countries. Another key figure committed suicide. What is needed now is not rumors and speculation, but hard facts and hard evidence of illegality.

Now is not the time to press slander charges against Mr. Lee. If the executives of ruling party and those in power raise their voices, it is more than obvious that the prosecution, who has been already felt pressure from above, will not be able to proceed with an impartial investigation. Even if the charges turn out to be false, would the public trust the investigation outcome when they do not trust the prosecution?

It would have been better to make public the list of those involved in private fund immediately after the prosecution obtained the information, whether the names were real or not. Although it is not a crime to join the fund, people still have right to know the names since the private fund was connected to an illegal loan scandal. Furthermore, the list of false names shows that the fund was not transparent.

The recent Dongbang Mutual Savings and Finance illegal loan scandal clearly teaches the politicians and prosecution that it is extremely important to satisfy the people's right to know in order to clarify any doubts.

The writer is an editorial writer of the JoongAng Ilbo.
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